Powerlifting in Bihar

Reviewed profileAchievements, tournaments, coaches and FAQs on this page are compiled by hand from federation, government and press reporting, drawing on Wikipedia — Indian Powerlifting Federation, Indian Powerlifting Federation (indianpowerliftingfederation.com), World Powerlifting Congress India (wpcindia.org), PowerLifting India (powerliftingindia.net), OpenPowerlifting.org — recent national championship results. These are not cited to individual documents: we hold no per-claim source for them, so treat dates, counts and career records here as a summary rather than a reference. Sections we hold nothing for are left empty. Sport pages last reviewed as a set: September 2026.

Overview

Origin: Modern
Category: Strength
Olympic discipline: No
Paralympic discipline: No
Central pathway: Federation and state pathway
Athlete profiles on SportSupport: 5

Governance and status

Each field below is shown only where we hold a source for it; anything else reads “Not currently verified” rather than a guess. Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition is granted year by year, so it is only ever shown with the year it applies to. Last reviewed: September 2026.

Indian governing/organising body: IPLF
Ministry recognition: Not currently verified
International federation: Not currently verified
Khelo India inclusion: Not currently verified
TOPS eligibility: Not currently verified
Olympic status: Not on the Olympic programme
Paralympic status: Not a Paralympic discipline

Powerlifting is listed on SportSupport in the strength category. Its recorded origin is Modern. It is not on the Olympic programme. We list IPLF as the Indian governing/organising body for the sport.

Powerlifting has a federation and state-level pathway in India, and athletes selected through IPLF may be eligible for state sports-quota employment and state cash awards where their state notifies the discipline. TOPS does not apply, as the discipline is outside the Olympic programme.

Scholarships & Funding

Central, state and private scholarships available for powerlifting athletes in India.

Khelo India Talent Identification & Development (KITID)
Stipend, boarding, coaching and kit at accredited centres for talent identified through the Khelo India selection process (Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports). Applies only to disciplines on the official Khelo India Games list, and only to athletes it selects.
National Sports Development Fund (NSDF)
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports fund used to sponsor elite athletes' training, foreign coaches and equipment. Allocations are made case by case; we hold no record of NSDF support specific to powerlifting.
Pension for Meritorious Sportspersons
Lifetime monthly pension for retired internationals who meet the scheme's medal criteria at Asian, Commonwealth or World Championship level — Government of India. Whether a given powerlifting event counts depends on the scheme's notified list.
State sports quota and government employment
Many states reserve government and public-sector posts for national-level medallists. Which powerlifting events and which certifying bodies a state accepts varies by state, so check your state's current notification.

Explore all government schemes →

Indian Players

5 profiles

Browse the full athlete directory →

Rules

Powerlifting contests three lifts in fixed order — squat, bench press, deadlift — with three attempts each. Lifters compete by bodyweight class and age category (sub-junior, junior, senior, masters); the best valid attempt in each lift is added into a total, and ties are broken in favour of the lighter bodyweight. Three referees judge each attempt: a squat must reach depth with the hip crease below the top of the knee, a bench press must be paused motionless on the chest and pressed to a locked, even finish, and a deadlift must finish fully upright with shoulders back and no downward movement of the bar. Missing commands ('squat', 'start'/'press'/'rack', 'down'), soft-locking, or shifting the feet brings red lights. Separate divisions exist for classic (raw) and equipped lifting, and all competitors fall under NADA/WADA anti-doping testing.

Authoritative rulebook: IPLF. Age-group and school-level variations are published by SGFI and the state associations each season.

Positions

Typical roles across strength sports. These are category-level descriptions, not a sourced powerlifting squad list.

Snatch
Single-movement lift from floor to overhead — Olympic weightlifting event.
Clean & jerk
Two-stage lift to the shoulders then overhead — Olympic weightlifting event.
Squat / bench / deadlift
The three powerlifting disciplines contested by weight class.

Equipment

Standard kit and infrastructure required to train and compete in powerlifting at a federation-recognised event.

Calibrated power bar and competition plates with collars
Squat rack, competition bench and platform
Singlet, T-shirt and long socks for deadlift
Approved lifting belt (max 10cm width)
Flat-soled lifting shoes or squat shoes
Knee sleeves or wrist wraps within length limits (classic division)
Squat suit, bench shirt and knee wraps (equipped division)

Governing/organising body

Body listed on SportSupport

Indian Powerlifting Federation

Indian Powerlifting Federation is the body we list as the Indian governing/organising body for Powerlifting. We hold no confirmed Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it, so nothing here states that it is currently recognised.

Origin: Modern
Olympic: No
Paralympic: No
Category: Strength

IPF profile →All federations →

Major Indian Events

Domestic competitions we hold a source for in powerlifting.

National Championships (Sub Junior, Junior, Senior, Master, Benchpress, Deadlift, Federation Cup)
Organized by the Indian Powerlifting Federation (IPF, established 1975, headquartered in Jamshedpur, recognized by MYAS and the IOA), which has over 10,000 members and 37 affiliated state associations.
Governance note
A separate body, World Powerlifting Congress India (WPC India, founded 2017), also runs national and state championships under a different international affiliation (World Powerlifting Congress, USA) — reflecting the same kind of multi-organization landscape seen in several other strength and combat sports.

International Events

Continental and world-level competitions we hold a source for in powerlifting.

Hosting record
IPF has hosted 23 international championships (Asian, Commonwealth and World level) in India between 1981 and 2016, and its lifters have won more than 900 medals at championships held abroad. The federation states that lifter E.S. Bhaskaran set a still-unbeaten world record in deadlift.
Asia-Pacific Powerlifting Championship
India was awarded hosting rights for this event (Australia, March 2019) in recognition of its improving international standing, per Powerlifting India's own leadership.

Leagues

No dedicated professional league is currently catalogued for powerlifting. The national championship under IPLF remains the top domestic competition.

All leagues →

International Players

Globally recognised powerlifting athletes to know outside India.

The international federation for powerlifting maintains the current world ranking — check the federation site for the up-to-date top names.

Career Options

Ways to build a career in powerlifting — on the field, on the sidelines and behind the scenes.

Seven Indian powerlifters have received the Arjuna Award and one the Dronacharya Award; Monojit Bose received a Hall of Fame Award from the International Powerlifting Federation in 1979
Playing pathway through IPF's zone (North/East/West/South) and state-level championships feeding into national events
The sport has moved to fully digital nomination and results systems since 2017
Federation leadership has been explicit about zero tolerance for anti-doping violations under NADA/WADA rules — a genuine, ongoing point of vigilance in a strength sport where doping risk is a live concern

Explore sports careers →Coaches directory →

Related academies

1 listed

SAI Western Centre, GandhinagarNational
Gandhinagar, Gujarat · Since 1986
Western India's residential SAI centre with full sports-science support; its athletics, powerlifting and swimming programmes here are para disciplines.

All academies →List your academy →

Government Schemes

3 listed

Central and state schemes that fund training, stipends and awards for powerlifting athletes and academies.

All government schemes →

FAQs

Common questions about powerlifting in India.

Who governs Powerlifting in India?▾

We list IPLF as the Indian governing/organising body for Powerlifting, and state associations affiliated to it run age-group and state-level competition. We hold no current-year Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it, so this is not a statement that it is currently a recognised national sports federation — recognition is granted year by year.

Is Powerlifting an Olympic sport?▾

No, Powerlifting is not on the Olympic programme.

How do I start playing Powerlifting in India?▾

The usual routes are a school team under the School Games Federation of India (SGFI), a college team under the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), or a private academy affiliated to your state association under IPLF. Age-group state championships follow from there.

What government schemes support Powerlifting athletes?▾

TOPS does not apply, as Powerlifting is outside the Olympic programme. State-government cash awards or sports-quota employment can apply where a state notifies the discipline, which varies by state. Powerlifting does not appear on the official Khelo India Games discipline list, so we make no Khelo India claim for it.

Powerlifting in every state & UT

Dedicated pages for Powerlifting in each Indian state and Union Territory — academies, schemes, athletes and how to start.