Check out this highlights video of Powerlifting at the London 2012 Paralympics
Powerlifting is the ultimate test of upper body strength and can sometimes see athletes lift more than three times their own body weight.
It is open to all athletes with cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, lower limb amputees and les autres who meet the minimal disability criteria.
The bench press is the sport's single discipline, with 10 different categories based on body weight. Competitors must lower the bar to the chest, hold it motionless on the chest and then press it upwards to arms length with locked elbows. Athletes are given three attempts and the winner is the athlete who lifts the highest number of kilograms.
The sport is governed by the IPC and co-ordinated by the IPC Powerlifting Technical Committee.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is committed to enabling Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to develop sport opportunities for all persons with a disability from the beginner to elite level. In addition, the IPC aims to promote the Paralympic values, which include courage, determination, inspiration and equality. For further information, please visit http://www.paralympic.org.
To watch videos on demand from Paralympic Games and to subscribe to ParalympicSport.TV, please go to www.youtube.com/ParalympicSportTV. Also, you may follow the Paralympic Movement on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ParalympicGames or on
Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/paralympic.
