The banned sleeves breach the IPF Technical Guidelines.
Final up to date on April eleventh, 2025
On April 4, 2025, the Worldwide Powerlifting Federation (IPF) banned stiff knee sleeves from their sanctioned competitions.
Banned Knee Sleeves
The IPF Executive Commission convened in Luxembourg and decided that the next knee sleeves can be disallowed from sanctioned meets:
- INZER ErgoPro Knee Sleeves & INZER ErgoPro “Kona“ Knee Sleeves IPF ID: 270
- Titan Knee Sleeves (TKS) 7mm: IPF ID: 127
- ONI Knee Sleeve Professional IPF ID: 113 Geared up & Traditional
- Energy Store 7mm Inferno PRO Knee Sleeves Additional Stiff Black IPF ID: 221-1
- Hansu 7mm Knee Sleeves 1.0 & 2.0 IPF ID: 330/1
- Fortex Knee Sleeves 7mm Additional Stiff Varied colors IPF ID: 205
- A7 Hourglass Knee Sleeves Rigor Mortis (varied colours) IPF ID: 100
The above sleeves have been “faraway from the IPF “Accredited Listing of Attire and Tools for Use at IPF Competitions” with instant impact.” Nevertheless, athletes are permitted to make use of them till Aug. 18, 2025. After that, these sleeves “is not going to be permitted in any occasions sanctioned by the IPF or its regional or nationwide associates.”
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The choice to take away the stiff knee sleeves from the authorized listing adopted a commissioned evaluation by an unnamed impartial laboratory.
The findings confirmed that the supplies used within the now-banned knee sleeves “don’t adjust to being made from neoprene as outlined within the IPF Technical Guidelines (i.e., “The sleeves should be constructed solely of a single ply of neoprene, or predominantly of a single ply of neoprene plus a non-supportive single layer of material over the neoprene.”
The choice to outlaw stiff knee sleeves mustn’t demonstrably have an effect on how athletes carry out the three large lifts—squat, bench press, and deadlift—throughout sanctioned contests. Whether or not or not the businesses that manufacture the banned sleeves will alter their merchandise to adjust to the IPF Technical Guidelines stays unknown.
What is thought is elite powerlifting athletes competing in sanctioned contests might want to alter what’s of their gym bag earlier than heading to the lifting platform.
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