Sport | Professional: bodybuilding (including men's wheelchair), physique, fitness, figure, bikini, wellness, masters and natural (IFBB Pro League Ben Weider Natural Pro only) |
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Category | Sports governing body |
Jurisdiction | International |
Abbreviation | IFBB Professional League IFBB Pro League IFBB Pro IFBB |
Founded | 1946 - International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB) 1975 - IFBB Professional (Pro) Committee / IFBB Pro Division 2005 - IFBB Pro LeagueContents |
Affiliation | International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness |
Affiliation date | (2005 – 2017) |
Headquarters | PO Box 789 Carnegie, Pennsylvania 15106 United States of America |
President | Jim Manion |
Replaced | International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation |
(founded) | 1946 |
Official website | |
www |
The International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Professional League (IFBB Pro League) is the largest international professional sports governing body federation in the world for professional bodybuilding, physique, fitness, figure, bikini and wellness. It sanctions the most prestigious competitions in bodybuilding at the Mr Olympia and Ms. Olympia, and the second most prestigious competitions in bodybuilding at the Arnold Sports Festival and Rising Phoenix World Championships. [1] [2] [3]
The natural bodybuilding equivalent to the IFBB is the INBA/PNBA Global as the IFBB, excluding the IFBB Pro League Ben Weider Natural Pro, does not test athletes for steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
In 1946, the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB) was created. At the 1975 Mr. Universe and IFBB Congress, the IFBB established the IFBB Professional Committee (IFBB Pro Committee; later called the IFBB Professional Division (IFBB Pro Division)) to handle the professional bodybuilding division of the IFBB. [9] [10] In November 2004, International Federation of Bodybuilders Professional Division was renamed the International Federation of Bodybuilding & Fitness Professional Division. [11]
In November 2005, the IFBB Pro Division was split from the IFBB and became the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Professional League, which was its own legal entity, with its own rules and regulations. The IFBB Constitution became an amateur only sport governing document. [12]
To become an IFBB Pro bodybuilder, one has to come via the route of the NPC. In the USA the NPC is the only route to IFBB Pro status. Internationally, one has to compete in an NPC Worldwide sanctioned show, of which there are various federations internationally with NPC affiliation.
Note there is no longer any affiliation between the IFBB amateur (IFBB) and the IFBB Pro League/NPC. Thus any competitor competing in an IFBB affiliated show have no route to the IFBB Pro League. The IFBB have their own version of professional status known as IFBB Elite Pro. However, even if a competitor holds this distinction, they will still have to come via the route of an NPC show or NPC affiliated show to gain IFBB Pro League status if they one day wish to compete on the Mr Olympia stage.
Country | NPC WORLDWIDE Regional or Pro Qualifier application requirement |
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| Regional Certificate requirement |
United States | Compete at a National Physique Committee contest not more than one year before competing in an NPC WORLDWIDE Regional or Pro Qualifier contest |
Canada | Compete at a Canadian Pro Qualifier contest not more than one year before competing in an NPC WORLDWIDE Regional or Pro Qualifier contest, except for the Arnold Amateur USA [13] |
Type of contest | Open to | Minimum number of competitors per division | Number of IFBB Pro Cards awarded per division overall |
---|---|---|---|
Regional | Worldwide | N/A | 0 |
National Regional | Host country only | ||
Pro Qualifier | Worldwide | 5 | 1 |
National Pro Qualifier | Host country only | ||
Ben Weider WorldWide Classic | Worldwide | ||
Arnold Amateur (Australia, Brazil, UK) | |||
Arnold Amateur (USA) | 5 | 1 (Bodybuilding, classic physique, fitness, figure, women's physique and wellness) 2 (Men's physique and bikini) | |
Amateur Olympia | 10 or more 8 – 9 5 – 7 less than 5 | 3 2 1 0 | |
European Championships | Determined by NPC Worldwide and IFBB Pro League | ||
European Masters Championships | |||
South American Masters Championships [13] | |||
2023 qualification period | Division | 2023 Olympia qualified competitors | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
21 November 2022 – 9 October 2023 | Men's bodybuilding | Top 5 from the 2022 Mr. Olympia | Winner of each Open contest held during the qualification period | |
Women's bodybuilding, physique, fitness, figure, bikini and wellness | Top 3 from all other 2022 Olympia divisions | |||
Wheelchair bodybuilding | ||||
Top 5 in the Points Standing [14] | ||||
2023 Wheelchair bodybuilding points system | |
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Points Standing Contests | Points |
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Note: Any former Olympia winner has lifetime eligibility, but after more than 5 years since their last Olympia win, approval of the IFBB Professional League is required.
Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic purposes over functional ones, distinguishing it from similar activities such as powerlifting, which focuses solely on increasing the physical load one can exert.
Mr. Olympia is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men's bodybuilding contest in the open division at Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend—an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually and is sanctioned by the IFBB Professional League. Joe Weider created the contest to enable the amateur Mr. Universe winners to continue competing and to earn money. The first Mr. Olympia was held on September 18, 1965, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City, with Larry Scott winning his first of two straight titles. The equivalent female title is Ms. Olympia.
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