VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The jury is out on whether to keep the jury in weightlifting.

The International Weightlifting Federation is considering a proposal to revamp how lifts are judged. Currently a lift must be ruled good by two of three referees, but a five-person jury which sits off to the side can overrule or even remove a referee.

"You don't gain anything by showing up a referee," said Myrddin John, an IWF vice president from Wales. "And I don't know of any other sport where you can remove a referee in the middle of an event."

John is proposing seven referees, with four needed to clear a lift, and no jury.

"I think it would be tremendously exciting to have a row of seven lights up there," said John, who feels the jury system is unnecessarily disruptive for both spectators and athletes.

The jury's decision must be unanimous, and discussions can take five to 10 minutes.

The soonest the new system could be in place is the 2006 world championships. It must first pass a technical committee, the executive board, and an annual congress of member nations in 2005.