Kettlebell lifting

Kettlebell lifting (Russian: гиревой спорт, girevoy sport) is a weight lifting sport performed with kettlebells. Competitive kettlebell lifting has a long history in Russia but developed as an organised, standard sport under the name kettlebell lifting during the 1960s.

The sport consists of three lifts: the snatch, jerk and the long jerk.

Competition format is usually composed of two categories; biathlon and the long cycle:

Sanctioning bodies require the use of 1-pood (16 kg), 1.5-pood (24 kg), and 2-pood (32 kg) competition kettlebells of similar size with identifying colours (yellow, green, and red respectively).

The main international sanctioning body is the International Union of Kettlebell Lifting (IUKL) based in Riga, Latvia. The All-Russia Kettlebell Lifting Federation (Всероссийская федерация гиревого спорта) is also a member of IUKL. A competitor organisation of lesser importance is the International Girya Sport Federation (IGSF), founded in Lipetsk, Russia but currently based in Ukraine. In 2006, Valery Fedorenko, a former world champion from Kyrgyzstan founded the World Kettlebell Club in the United States. In 2012, The American Kettlebell Alliance (AKA) as founded to further develop and popularize kettlebell sport in the Americas. The AKA is also a member of the IUKL and represents American athletes into international competitions including the IUKL World Championships, which is the largest and most prestigious annual international kettlebell sport competition in the world. International Kettlebell Marathon Federation (IKMF) is main organisation for marathon kettlebell lifting which was previously sanctioned by IGSF. There are organizations which promote sport of kettlebell lifting, educate and license coaches and determine conditions for titles of mastery in sport of kettlebell lifting; more notable ones are: KetAcademy, IKFF (International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation), StrongFirst, World Kettlebell, GSU (Girevoy Sport Union), IKSFA (International Kettlebell Sport & Fitness Academy).

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