The International Olympic Committee has announced it will no longer award medals for the bench pressing.
The committee, which has been trying to make the sport more accessible, has changed the rules in 2020.
But it still won’t award medals in the weightlifting and the Olympic-style bench press, which are the two most important strength and conditioning exercises for the Olympic lifts.
In an email to the International Olympic committee, Olympic weightlifting coach Mike Glynn said the change was necessary because of the increased demand on the athletes.
“As an Olympic weightlifter, the bench presses are one of the most challenging exercises for you and your coaches,” Glynn wrote.
It will take time for the new rules to take effect.
In a statement, the International Association of Athletics Federations said that the committee “cannot continue to make changes that limit the capacity of our athletes to compete in the sport and to help develop future generations of athletes.”
There is no timetable for when the changes will take effect, but Glynn noted that the sport was being pushed to the top of the agenda by the 2020 Olympics.
We are working to make sure the sport is available to the athletes that we have in the country,” Glynne wrote.