History of IFBB & IFBB Pro

1946: the foundation

The IFBB was founded in 1946, in Canada, by the brothers Ben and Joe Weider under the name International Federation of BodyBuilders. In the words of Ben Weider, he and his brother formed the federation with two member countries, Canada and the United States.

Ben Weider is honoured by the federation as IFBB Founder and Honorary Life President.

International growth

From those two countries the federation grew into a worldwide organization: Ben Weider counted 174 national federations on the eve of its 60th anniversary in 2006, and the IFBB’s current presentation speaks of 204 affiliated nations.

Under its constitution the IFBB is registered under Spanish law as a non-profit entity and is the international amateur governing body for the sport of bodybuilding and fitness. The federation states that it is recognized by, or a member of, organizations such as the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), SportAccord, the Olympic Council of Asia, Panam Sports, the International University Sports Federation (FISU), AIMS and TAFISA, and that it takes part in multi-sport games such as the Pan American Games, the South American Games, the Central American and Caribbean Games, the Bolivarian Games and the Asian Beach Games.

The IFBB is a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code and reports that it has performed doping control since 1986.

World competitions

The IFBB sanctions national, regional, continental and world championships — thousands of competitions every year, according to its own figures. Its competitive disciplines today include men’s bodybuilding, classic bodybuilding, men’s physique, fitness, mixed pairs, children fitness, wheelchair bodybuilding and Fitness Challenge, among others.

To preserve its history the federation created the IFBB Hall of Fame, which honours athletes and officials who made a lasting contribution to the sport.

Leadership

In 2006 Dr. Rafael Santonja (Spain) was elected President of the IFBB at the congress in Ostrava, Czech Republic; he was re-elected in 2010 and 2014 and, most recently, unanimously in November 2022 for the 2022–2026 term. The profiles of the international officials are in the section “International Governing Body” of this website.

The professional structure

Before 2017

According to the IFBB Professional League’s own history, Joe and Ben Weider announced on 27 November 2005 the creation of the IFBB Professional League as an organization separate and distinct from the International Federation of BodyBuilders, and chose Jim Manion to head it.

2017: IFBB Elite Pro

In the autumn of 2017 the IFBB launched its own professional division under the name IFBB Elite Pro. The first Elite Pro events in history were held in Lahti, Finland, from 6 to 8 October 2017, during the Nordic Fitness Expo and the 2nd Ben Weider Legacy Cup: two shows with 12,000 euros in prize money. Dennis Johansen (Norway) won the first Elite Pro Men’s Physique title. The IFBB President, Dr. Rafael Santonja, attended the event.

The official rules of today still refer to that moment: athletes who obtained professional status before September 2017 may join IFBB Pro directly.

From Elite Pro to IFBB Pro

The circuit grew quickly: in 2019 the first Elite Pro contest in the United States was added to the Miami Grand Prix, and the 2021 calendar included the IFBB Elite Pro World Championships in Seville together with new professional championships in Prague, Mexico and Santo Domingo.

Today the professional structure is presented as IFBB Pro on its official website, ifbbproofficial.com (“IFBB Pro Official”). Its rules are published by IFBB Elite Pro Card Company S.L. (IFBB Pro); the 2025 edition covers seven modalities, among them Bodybuilding, Bodybuilding 95, Men’s Physique and Classic Physique. Pro cards are earned by the category winners of World and Continental Championships and at designated IFBB Pro qualifier events.

2025: Semi Pro

Starting on 1 March 2025, IFBB Pro Official organizes amateur events — now considered semi-professional — as a pathway to becoming an IFBB Pro athlete. The semi-professional divisions are judged by IFBB Pro judges and head judges and have their own international calendar.

Four names that must not be confused

• IFBB — the international federation founded in 1946 (ifbb.com), governing body of amateur bodybuilding and fitness; President: Dr. Rafael Santonja.
• IFBB Elite Pro — the name under which the IFBB launched its professional division in 2017.
• IFBB Pro (IFBB Pro Official) — the professional structure as it is presented today on ifbbproofficial.com, including the Semi Pro level since 2025.
• IFBB Pro League (IFBB Professional League) — a different organization (ifbbpro.com), announced in 2005 and headed by Jim Manion, whose pro-qualifier contests are run by the NPC and NPC Worldwide. It is not part of the IFBB and IFBB Pro structure described on this page.