It's been a long road to where we are in the sport of powerlifting. 50 years ago, in 1972, the International Powerlifting Federation was founded and Canada was there! In fact a Canadian, Bill Gvoich, was one of the Vice-Presidents of the IPF at founding. We have a rich history of powerlifting in Canada and we had this design made to honour it.

We know children are the future of our sport, so that's why we made some children's and youth tshirts in this design!  You can find all available versions of this design here. 

Incorporated into this design are a few Canadian Powerlifting legends. While there were plenty of individuals to choose from, and we wish we could have included the thousands of individuals who have contributed to the CPU's history, we chose the following 4: 

Bill Jamison (bottom of 5) : Bill was one of the founding members of the Canadian Powerlifting Union, and contributed to the sport for over 50 years.  He founded the Steel City Powerlifting club in 1969, and helped the IPF set their rules for the first World Championship in 1973.  Throughout the years, Bill served the CPU as technical chair, and was the longest standing IPF referee. Bill was inducted into the IPF Hall of Fame as an Official in 2003, and the CPU has the 'Bill Jamison Award' which is considered the highest honour in the CPU, presented to individuals who demonstrate qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the sport of powerlifting.  Bill passed away in early 2022.  

Rhaea Stinn (top of 5) : Rhaea has had a career of almost 20 years in the Canadian Powerlifting Union, and she continues to break barriers.  Rhaea is arguably the most decorated Canadian athlete, winning IPF Sub-Junior World Championships (2006), Junior World Championships (2011), Open World Championships (2019 & 2021), and The World Games (2022).  She has held countless National Records, as well as World Records in both classic and equipped divisions.  In 2021, she was inducted into the IPF Hall of Fame as an Athlete.  

Jim (James) Moir (left side of 0) : Jim competed for Canada at the first IPF World Championships in 1973.  In 1979, he won the Open World Championships at 67.5kg, and competed at the first World Games in 1981.  He was one of the longest standing IPF World Record holders, with his squat record of 275kg, and total record of 727.5 at 67.5kg standing from 1980 until the weight classes were changed and records were retired in 2010.  

Joy Burt (right size of 0) : Joy was one of the female trailblazers in the sport.  She was the IPF Open World Champion (1987 & 1992), and won The World Games in 1989.  Additionally, she is the only Canadian female athlete to have won 'Champion of Champions' (aka. Best Lifter) at IPF Open Worlds, doing so in 1992.  

 

 

Size Chart	Chest	Length
Child 2	23"	16"
Child 4	25"	17"
Child 6	27"	19"
Youth Small	30"	21"
Youth Medium	33"	23"
Youth Large	36"	24"