Dear Powerlifting America Members,
Many of you have expressed your concern regarding the racist incident that occurred at the IPF Classic Open World Championships in Druskininkai, Lithuania. We share your concern and condemn this behavior in the strongest possible terms. Racism has no place in our sport community, and it goes against everything we stand for.
Our immediate priority is the safety and well-being of our athletes, coaches, officials, and members. To that end, we have sent a letter to the IPF, the text of which you can read below, with recommended actions to address the harm done to Sonita Muluh and to prevent anything like this from happening again.
We are taking this matter seriously and recognize that we may need to take our own measures within Powerlifting America to ensure nothing like this happens on our platforms. The Executive Committee has already discussed steps we can put in place to protect our athletes. Here are the immediate actions we intend to take:
1. Strong oversight of our spotters and loader teams: The spotters and loaders we have used at our national championship have been outstanding, and we regularly receive positive unsolicited feedback from you on their professionalism and the good energy they bring in their interactions with athletes on the platform. That said, Powerlifting America had two high-profile upcoming events in which other teams of spotters and loaders will be used—namely, the Avancus Houston signature event, which will include Ms. Muluh, and the IPF Masters World Championship. In both cases we will be engaged with the meet directors to vet the spotter and loader teams and to set unconditional expectations of professionalism and the critical role they play in protecting our athletes.
2. Using our best referees and high-profile meets: Powerlifting America is supporting the Avancus Houston meet by sending some of our most experienced referees. We have six (6) IPF Category 1 & 2 certified referees to support this event along with experienced national referees. These referees share a deep commitment for creating a fair platform in which all athletes can have the best meet possible. We have less control over the referees at the IPF Masters World Championship, as each country is required to provide referees. This is intended to prevent any nation’s athletes from receiving biased treatment. However, as the host country we do have additional slots to provide referees, and we are again including our best and most experienced referees to support this meet.
Beyond these immediate actions, the Executive Committee and Board will examine our policies and operational practices to identify additional strategies, such as developing guidance for meet directors, to ensure that racism never affects our platforms. Our goal is to ensure that all our athletes can experience high-quality competitions that allow them to bring their best performances to the sport.
Thank you for your continued support.
Powerlifting America Executive Committee
Dear IPF Colleagues:
On behalf of Powerlifting America, we are writing to express our dismay regarding the treatment of Sonita Muluh at the 2026 IPF Classic Open World Championship held in Druskininkai, Lithuania. Having a spotter deliberately sabotage a lift because of his racist beliefs put Ms. Muluh at risk of injury and denied her the opportunity to set a new world record. We cannot know how her meet would have unfolded had that third squat been successful, but she is also now out of the running for meets like the Sheffield, which create financial opportunities for our top athletes.
Although Ms. Muluh is not a member of Powerlifting America, we condemn racist treatment of athletes and stand with Belgium and athletes from other countries expressing their outrage at this incident and fears that they could be subject to such treatment at future competitions.
We understand that the IPF is evaluating what steps it can take to safeguard athletes at its events and that developing new operational procedures will take time. There are at least two immediate actions the IPF can take. First, the IPF should extend an apology directly to Ms. Muluh. Second, the IPF in partnership with her sponsor, SBD, should offer her a chance to compete this year at an event at which she would again have the opportunity to set a world record.
We also want to recognize and appreciate the Lithuanian Powerlifting Federation’s quick action to ban this spotter for life and refer him to local authorities. That said, this is the second highly visible incident to have taken place in Druskininkai, Lithuania. You may recall that in 2024, Dr, Maia Blackman, an official with the IPF who is of African descent, was detained for apparently no other reason than the color of her skin. Lithuania has bid to host the Sub-Junior and Junior Powerlifting Championship in 2028. As part of reviewing this bid, we encourage you to partner with the Lithuania Powerlifting Federation and local officials to identify steps that can ensure the safety and dignity of athletes and officials traveling for this competition. One of the joys of IPF championships is the opportunity for participants to travel, experience another culture, and learn about the history of the host country. They must have confidence that they will be able to do so regardless of their race or ethnicity.
Thank you for reviewing this message, and we look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Powerlifting America’s Executive Committee