How should a USAPL national referee handle potential conflicts of interest?

• A. They should recuse themselves from judging the lifter if a conflict exists.
• B. They should announce the conflict and continue judging.
• C. They should ignore the conflict and proceed as normal.
• D. They should switch to a different lifter without noting the conflict.

Answer: (A)

Handling conflicts of interest is about protecting impartiality in judging. When a referee has a potential conflict with a lifter, the proper action is to recuse themselves from judging that lifter and have another qualified official take over. This involves declaring the conflict to the meet’s head referee so the lifter isn’t evaluated by someone who could be biased, and so the rest of the judging panel can remain objective. Recusal preserves fairness for all competitors and upholds the credibility of the competition.

Announcing a conflict but continuing to judge still leaves room for perceived bias, and ignoring the conflict or switching to a different lifter without noting it both undermine fairness and can mislead others about the judging process.