Over 120 athletes from six countries will be participating in the three-day Asian Powerlifting Championship-2025 at the Bhrikutimandap-based Nepal Police Club from August 15.

The event is being organised by the Nepali Youth Fitness and Callisthenics (NYFC), a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting callisthenics and street workouts by creating free fitness platforms in public parks nationwide. Surya Ply is co-sponsoring the event sanctioned by World Powerlifting.

“It is the first time that Nepal is organising a powerlifting event at such a scale,” Sukadev Karki, founder and president of NYFC, said in a press conference organised in Tripureshwar, Kathmandu, on Wednesday. “We have 49 athletes participating from Nepal, 17 of them women.”

The organisers informed that the majority of the powerlifters from Nepal hailed from Kathmandu, while a good number of participants are from Jhapa, Sunsari and Kaski districts, among others.

As many as 52 athletes are representing India, Karki said. “We will also see athletes from Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Uzbekistan.”

The powerlifters can compete in age-level and weight categories. There are eight weight categories and six age-level categories, each for male and female athletes.

Participants can compete in both age and weight levels as per their eligibility. The athletes can participate in either powerlifting, bench press only, deadlift only or push-pull only, according to NYFC. Or they can participate in all.

Powerlifting, in whole, includes squat, bench press and deadlift, while the push-pull competition excludes the squat.