ORANGE BEACH – The Orange Beach Event Center has transformed into a powerlifting arena where the International Powerlifting (IPL) World Championships are set to be held on the Gulf Coast this weekend the top lifter representing their countries.

Originally slated to be hosted in Russia, the meet was switched to Alabama earlier this month in what has been a whirlwind for Charlie Lyons, meet director and the United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Alabama chair.

“After we won the bid for the 2023 USPA National Championships in Orange Beach, I got a call the next week from the vice president of the USPA,” Lyons said in a press release. “They were in the middle of an emergency meeting with the IPL group to move the championship, and they all agreed they wanted me to run the event on the Alabama Gulf Coast with my experience running high-level powerlifting events in the area. We have put in the work for many years, and Alabama is going to be on the world’s stage!”

The lifting kicks off Thursday, Oct. 20, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 23. Stay tuned for more coverage from the IPL World Championships.