IFBB |
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| Sport | Bodybuilding |
| Formation date | 1946 |
| President | Dr Rafael Santonja |
| Chief Exec | Pamela Kagen |
| Secretary | Eric Weider |
| Official website | |
| www.ifbb.com | |
The International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB) is a competitive bodybuilding organization founded in 1946 by brothers Ben and Joe Weider and is the highest level of competitive bodybuilding in the world. Currently, the IFBB consists of seven different sub-divisions for different competitors (gender or weight), divided into 21 contests throughout the year.[1] The current IFBB season begins with the FLEX Pro Championships on February 19 and concludes with Pro Florida Championships on December 10.
The IFBB is most renowned for the cash prizes awarded to top 5-10 finishers depending on amplitude of the contest, being the sole organization of providing a means of living for competitors. The Mr. Olympia is the highest accolade achievable in the IFBB, giving the title of the current number one bodybuilder in the world. In November 2004, the IFBB congress voted to change the long name of the organization to the International Federation of Bodybuilding & Fitness. The logo and "IFBB" abbreviation remain unchanged.
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Until the 1940s the bodybuilding scene was controlled by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). The Weiders decided to form the IFBB after concerns that the AAU was more interested in promoting the Olympic sport of weightlifting than bodybuilding. The IFBB was set up to give "physique athletes" (bodybuilders) center stage. The first IFBB contest was held in 1949 - the IFBB Mr. America.
This angered the AAU, which had held their own AAU Mr. America contest since 1939 and a bitter feud ensued, which resulted in the AAU banning anyone from entering their contests if they had previously competed for the IFBB.
From the 1980s to his death in 2008, IFBB president Ben Weider petitioned the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for inclusion of bodybuilding in the Olympic Games. On January 30, 1998, the IFBB was made a provisional member, and the membership was subsequently made permanent on 1 August 2000. The IFBB unsuccessfully petitioned the Olympic organising committee to demonstrate the sport at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.