29/10/2026
All jokes aside this is pretty shameful behaviour. A lot of people take inspiration from others, which is how ideas are developed and how everybody improves. But for a big company to take a small company’s design, literally copy it without changing any shape is pretty distasteful if you ask me.
What is even a bigger concern is the whole “IWF certification”. It’s either:
- a marketing ploy by someone who doesn’t have a clue and simply trying to say it meets their spec
- some dodgy deal the IWF have done to give SBD some special accreditation.
That would be alarm bells - the IWF have always been one of the good guys in the equipment and material space. As long as it hit the spec you were ok. Some branding had to be covered up during certain competitions (I remember we had some lifters in I think Rio Olympic a who had to tape over our logo due to sponsorship rights for the Olympics, which I don’t mind so much.
But if this turns into situation like the IPF Powerlifting whoever has paid the huge fees so that only their stuff is allowed to be used; that will be a dark an embarrassing day.
I love watching the world champs and seeing someone like Rezazadeh back in the day with some absolutely up belt falling apart but still getting the job done.
Let’s hope SBD come to their senses and knock this product on the head and that the IWF don’t sell our sport out! I’m a former Welsh weightlifting champion from about 20 years back. Surely my opinion counts 0.002% 😂😂😂
