THIS week, KEVIN GRECH from the website Evolution of Bodybuilding, wrote an informative piece on the current situation regarding the IFBB and the NPC. With his permission, frontdouble.com is republishing his article below:
By Kevin Grech
THE International Federation of Bodybuilding, better known as the IFBB, was founded in 1946 – 78 years ago – by two brothers, Joe and Ben Weider.
Joe and Ben dreamed of becoming the top magazine publishers focusing on health and fitness. And became the world’s greatest bodybuilding promoters.
Joe Weider focused on promoting the world’s best bodybuilding events, including the Mr Olympia and focused on the publishing company.
Joe’s brother Ben went on to focus on growing the amateur side of the sport. He travelled all over the world, building relationships and creating national federations. Today there are more than 200 national federations affiliated with the IFBB.
The IFBB has a solid structure, with a president, executive committee and members who vote democratically for every rule or new event.
Ben Weider was the president of the IFBB until 2006, when he retired and recommended Dr Rafael Santonja to replace him. At IFBB’s congress in 2006, a vote was taken and Dr Santonja became the new IFBB President, a position he still holds today.
Ben Weider also suggested that Jim Manion remain in charge of the IFBB Professional League – under the banner of the IFBB and Dr Santonja. It is a position he has held since the inception of the IFBB Professional League in 2005.
In 2017 there were significant changes in the sport. First, Manion resolved the NPC from a tax-free amateur organisation to a private company. It is owned by himself and his family. There are questions about whether he allegedly did this in a legal manner, which he denies.
At the 2017 Olympia weekend, Manion announced to Dr Santonja that the NPC and the Pro League were leaving the IFBB and starting their own organisation.
In response, Dr Santonja (below) created a new pro division for the IFBB called the IFBB Elite Pro. This was recently rebranded to the IFBB Pro.
The IFBB also continued to promote the biggest amateur events on the bodybuilding calendar, which include the IFBB European and World Amateur Championships. For the pro athletes, they can compete in numerous pro events that all lead to the IFBB Pro World Championships.
Manion went on to expand the NPC his amateur division and continued to run the IFBB Professional League. This includs the Mr Olympia and other pro events. Manion also has attempted to expand in Europe and other parts of the world, under the name NPC Worldwide. But he has a lot more work to do before he reaches the height of the IFBB.
The NPC and IFBB Professional League are not a federation, but a privately owned business owned by the Manion family. Allegedly, no votes are needed to change any rules.
Before the split in 2017, the NPC and Manion were USA’s affiliates to the IFBB. This allowed amateur athletes to compete at amateur events such as the IFBB World Amateur Championships. Bodybuilding legends such as Lee Haney, Lee Labrada, Bob Paris, Mike Christian and others, represented the USA at these events.
Manion stopped attending the IFBB Congress at the IFBB World Championships. He also stopped sending athletes to represent the USA after 1998. But he continued to be affiliated with the IFBB and Santonja until 2017.
From 1946 till today, IFBB’s international events are a team sport, with athletes representing their country.
According to sources, Manion allegedly never liked to work under the IFBB and Dr Santonja. Allegedly, Manion expected Ben Weider to give him total control of the IFBB amateur and pro division. But Ben Weider had other plans.
Even though Manion was given the power to run the IFBB Professional League, he still had to work under the IFBB and Dr Santonja. As mentioned earlier, this would all come to an end in 2017.
Many experienced people within the NPC could have been the perfect candidate to be vice-president of the NPC and Professional League. But Manion (below) handpicked his grandson, Tyler, to run the show, keeping everything within the family.
There are many trademarks and copyrights created with the IFBB name, but there is only one IFBB. That is the one created by Ben Weider. That is the one still growing under the watchful eye of current IFBB President Dr Santonja.
The NPC, NPC Worldwide and IFBB Professional League might still use the name IFBB, but they are not the real IFBB. They are not affiliated with the worldwide federation created by Joe and Ben Weider in 1946.
The IFBB is the only bodybuilding federation in the world recognised by the top sports establishments worldwide. No other federation or private entity comes close.
Manion knows the power of the IFBB name and he and his family will keep using it to promote his events until he eventually switches over to the new names they trademarked. It is only a matter of time before Manion changes his pro organisation from IFBB Professional League to NPC Pro. This would work perfectly with his NPC amateur division.
To make things worse for Manion and his bodybuilding company, Dr Santonja has decided to rebrand their pro division, IFBB Elite Pro, to IFBB Pro. This will be seen by the Manion family that Santonja is starting to tighten his hold on the IFBB name.
History cannot be denied. It is easy to understand where and when the IFBB started and where it is today. While many have important ties to the IFBB, such as Manion, the fact is that Santonja is the only true successor after Ben Weider.
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FRONTDOUBLE COMMENT: This month, some UK competitions will be offering athletes the chance to win an IFBB Pro card. Recently, this card, rather than the NPC version, was described to frontdouble.com as a "Skoda v a Rolls Royce". Do you agree with this sentiment? Post your views below:
October 12-13: UKDFBA UK Championships, Athena Theatre, Leicester
October 13: PCA Central, Staffordshire; IBFA British Finals, Gateshead; NABBA England, Brierley Civic Hall, Dudley, DY5 3DH
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