New/returning applicants, please read this page. Then click on the Data Protection link at the bottom of the page to continue your application.
Your obligations as a BDFPA member
NO BANNED SUBSTANCES; BEING AVAILABLE FOR TESTING
The BDFPA recognises and condemns the dangers of drug use within sport, and within powerlifting in particular. It is committed to the education of all sportspeople as to the dangers and futility of drug use in sport.
The BDFPA conducts a rigorous drug testing policy, both in competitions and with no-notice, out-of-competition tests. Any member testing positive will be expelled from the BDFPA for life, and have their records and titles removed without fear or favour, subject to a right of appeal; their names and life ban status will remain on the BDFPA website indefinitely. A full list of banned substances can be obtained from the Drug Control Secretary, and full details of the BDFPA drug control policy are available in BDFPA Rule Book 1.
By ticking the corresponding box on the membership form, you confirm that you freely enter into an agreement to support the BDFPA policy on drug control. You also agree
- not to consume or administer to yourself any substance considered by the BDFPA to be a banned substance.
- not to administer any such substance to any other person, nor enter into any barter or trade in substances banned by the BDFPA.
- to be circumspect in your dealings with food supplements and over-the-counter medicines
- to accept that in the case of a positive test for a banned substance, a claim that you did not know you had ingested a banned substance will not normally be regarded as a valid defence
- to make yourself available for drug testing at all times at short notice
- to keep the Membership Registrar informed at all times of any change of postal or email address and telephone number for out-of-competition testing (including holidays if longer than fourteen days)
You also confirm your understanding that
- a refusal or an attempt to avoid testing is considered a positive test
- it is your responsibility to make yourself aware of what is considered a banned substance by the BDFPA
- failure to keep the Membership Registrar informed of your whereabouts as above may result in your membership being suspended
- the results of drug tests are permanently published on the BDFPA website.
If you have a medical condition that requires you to take medications that are on the list of banned substances, you can apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption, which may be granted under certain circumstances. To apply, contact the BDFPA Drug Control Officer.
NO MEMBERSHIP OF UNTESTED ORGANISATIONS
You cannot be a member of the BDFPA if you are a member of a powerlifting organisation that does not conduct drugs control procedures, here called an ‘untested organisation’. The term ‘untested organisation’ also includes those organisations which hold both tested and untested competitions, and competitions where tested members compete on the same platform as members of untested organisations. The full policy is available in BDFPA Rule Book 1. If you are in doubt as to whether a powerlifting organisation to which you belong, or have belonged, is an untested organisation, you can consult the Membership Registrar.
When you tick the corresponding box on the membership form, you are declaring that
- you have read and understood this policy
- you are not a member of an untested powerlifting organisation
- you will inform the BDFPA if this situation changes
- if you have been a member of a non-tested powerlifting organisation, you have notified the BDFPA Membership Team of the details and dates of this membership
You are also accepting that if it later emerges that you have been a member of an untested association and not notified the BDFPA, your membership may be cancelled for the rest of the membership year, with no refund.
AFFILIATED CLUBS
In affiliating your club to the British Drug-Free Powerlifting Association, you declare your support for, and compliance with, the drug control policy of the BDFPA, including drug testing of members at events, or out-of-competition. You confirm your understanding that this support for the Association’s drug-free ethos is expected of all members of your club. You undertake not to promote, or encourage your members to participate in, any powerlifting federation that is non-drug-tested, or any powerlifting federation which allows tested and non-tested athletes to compete on the same platform. You declare that yours is a bona fide club where members have face-to-face or digital meetings with club managers/coaches and follow a common training regime.