Constitution and By-laws for The Nordic Powerlifting federation (NPF)
§ 1 Definition and name
The NORDIC POWERLIFTING FEDERATION hereinafter called “NPF” is an organisation founded on February 23, 1975. The Federation is composed of the affiliated Nordic National Federations governing the sport of powerlifting on the basis of one national federation per country. The NPF will work for increased interest of powerlifting in the Nordic countries.
§ 2 Objectives
NPF shall follow the rules defined by the International powerlifting federation (IPF), but the NPF can make adjusted rules for the nordic powerlifting championship (from 2001-01-01)
§ 3 NPF congress
The NPF congress will be held one day before the Open Nordic Championship every second year.
The president, general sectretary and the other nations members of the NPF board shall be present at the congress.
Proposals to the congress must be sent to the president and General Secretary (GS) no later than 90 days prior to the congress.
The Secretary General will e-mail an agenda to all named delegates or their national federation. The official agenda for the NPF congress with amendments must be received by all members at least forty-five (45) days before the congress takes place.
Every nation has one vote for the congress as long as the payments according to §7 is fulfilled. Other participants have right to be heard. If the votes are equal, the vote of the president will rule.
The federation arranging the Nordic championship is responsible for facilitating the congress.
§ 4 Order of business
At every congress of the NPF the following will be the order of business:
The president opens the congress
Approve the order of business
Elect speaker and secretary for the congress
Approve the minutes of the last congress
Previous years report
Previous years financial report
approve freedom of responsibility for the NPF board
Set fees (annual nation member fee and nomination fees for benchpress and powerlifitng)
Set rates for travel expcence
Action on proposals
Time and place for future championships and congress
Election (see §5)
Any other business
§ 5 Election
The NPF board is elected for two (2) years and the election takes part at the congress.
The NPF board includes one president and one general sectretary which is elected at the congress in addition to national representatives for all member countries. The national representatives is nominated by their respective national federations.
A webmaster and record registrar is appointed every second year (same year as the congress).
The newly elected NPF board starts to act the first Monday after the congress is held.
§ 6 Duties
Duties for the President, General Secretary (GS), record registrar and webmaster of the NPF:
All economical transcripts shall be approved and signed by the president and the GS at the congress
President: make sure of the communication between the nordic member federations and good collaboration between the members of the NPF board.
General secretary: Treasurer
Make notes on happenings, and fulfill the requirements for the congress
Prepare the yearly activity report and the yearly financial report
Webmaster: keep the NPF website updated
Record registrar: keep the NPF records updated, and send updated list to the webmaster for publishing on the website.
§ 7 Annual national fees
Every member nation must pay the annual fee to the NPF at latest end of January.
The annual fee (in Euro€) is decided by the congress. (As stated in the minutes from the congress, 2010 the annual fee is 550 €)
The nomination fee for nordic championships concerns all lifters per nation (all age categories).
§ 8 Nordic Championsships – invitation and nomination
All member nations which have payed the annual fee according to §7 have the right to participate in the Nordic Championships.
Invitation to all NPF championships shall be sent all nations no later than two (2) months prior to the competition.
Nomination of lifters and officials to Nordic championships shall be received by the NPF
General Secretary with a copy to the Meet director within following time limits:
· Preliminary nomination not later than 60 days before the start date of each Nordic championship.
· Maximum nine (9) (10 UJ) women and ten (10) (11 UJ) men plus two (2) reserves with appointed weight class can be nominated. There is no maximum number of lifters in each weight class, but the maximum total number must not be exited.
· The nomination of a lifter in a class is fixed (no lifter can move up or down a weight class after final nomination)
· The lifters can only compete one time (i.e in one weight class) in every Nordic championship
· Final nomination, submitted no later than 21 days before the date of the Championship, must be made from those nominated in preliminary nomination. The final nomination shall include name and class for all athletes and name of nominated referees.
After the deadline for the final nomination – the nomination list will be published on the NPF website. (This list should not be published more than four weeks prior to the championship)
Payment of nomination fees should be done to the organiser as stated in the invitaion letter. The payment has the same deadline as the final nomination (21 days prior to the championship).
Nomination fees: See latest congress protocol (As stated in the minutes from the congress, 2010 the nomination fee for powerlifting is 400€ for a national team or 45€ per lifter up to 8 lifters and the nomination fee for benchpress is 300€ for a national team or 35€ per lifter up to 8 lifters)
Every nation is responsible for their own expences connected to the nordic championships.
The championship organiser will give a proposal for cost of hotel and banquet as part of the invitation to the Championship.
§ 9 Nordic Championsships – competition
The open Nordic Championship (NC) – powerlifting and benchpress (men and women) shall be organised every second year (even years) no later than mid september. The competetion should be organised over two days, but if number of nominated lifters is high the competition could be organised over three days.
The Nordic Championship (NC) in powerlifting for Youth and Juniors (men and women) shall be organised every year preferably mid April (no later than three weeks before the final nomination for the Word Championship for Juniors). The competetion should be organised over two days (preferably Friday – Saturday).
Maximum number of athletes in each national team together with weightclasses for the NC are according to IPF technical rules.
The NPF will not take responsebility for organising Nordic Championships for Masters. Any nordic national powerlifting federation can organise such a competition on their own effort and expence.
Awards
Number 1, 2 and 3 in each weight class is awarded the NPF championship medal. All athletes which breaks a nordic record recieves a record certificate. Expences to both medals and record certificates are covered by the NPF.
In every Nordic Championship the three (3) best national teams wins a team award where the organiser covers the expences. There are separate men and women team competitions.
Team points are calculated according to IPF technical rules (12, 9, 8 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1)
All lifters in the team counts in the team competition, but the team must consist of minimum three (3) lifters to be regarded as a team.
The following best national teams (top three) is awarded:
Junior men – powerlifting (both youth and junior lifters are included, all lifters)
Junior women – powerlifting (both youth and junior lifters are included, all lifters)
Women – powerlifting
Men – powerlifting
Women – benchpress
Men – benchpress
The best lifter – Champ of champions (best class winner on Wilks points) is awarded:
Nordic Championship powerlifting: Best men and best women
Nordic Championship benchpress: Best men and best women
Nordic Championship Junior powerlifting: Best men and best women (junior and youth respectively)
§ 10 Nordic records
Nordic records are listed in squat, benchpress, deadlift and total.
Nordic records demands ruling of international category II referees.
Exception: Nordic records can be broken at national championships in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland for respective age categories. The refeeres can have a category above the lowest possible category as long as there are a Jury present including at least one international category II referee to make sure of the standard of the competition.
The record should be sent the NPF’s record registrar no later than one (1) week after the record has been broken. The lifters weight at weight-in will apply for the record,
Nordic records does not have a demand for a doping control.
§ 11 Expences
The travel and logistics expences for the NPF President and GS travelling to the congress in connection with the Open Nordic Championship is covered by the NPF.
The record registrar and webmaster shall get refund for expences connected to their duties for the NPF.
§ 12 Changes in the by-laws
In order to change the by-laws for the NPF any proposal needs at least sixty (60) % of the total number of votes in favor of change.
The by-laws can ony be modified at the congress (even years).
§ 13 Dissolution
NPF can only be dissolved when all member nations support the decicion of dissolution.
§ 14 Changes of the NPF by-laws (”stadger”)
Ovanstående stadgar gällande from 23 februari 1975.
Justeringar gjorda på Styrelsemötet i BrØndby, Danmark den 8 september 2000.
Justeringar senast gjorda vid extra kongress i Västertorp, Sverige den 26 januari 2002
Justeringar efter påpekande av Kimmo Jouhki den 4 februari 2002
Logo inlagd 21 februari 2002 av Johan Westerberg
§3, §9 och §11 justerade enligt kongressbeslut 6 september 2002.
§3, §4, §5, §6, §7, §8, §9, §11, §12 och §14 justerade enligt kongressbeslut 5 september 2003.
§9, §10 justerade enligt styrelsebeslut 10 sept 2004
§9, §10 justerade enligt styrelsebeslut sept 2006 samt efter IPF´s kongress 2006
§3, §4, §5, §6, §8, §9, §12 where modified and all paragraphs translated to English according to the minutes from NPF congress 27 august 2010.
