The IFBB Legacy – Time to stop the confusion.
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 Weider both dreamed of becoming the top magazine publishers focusing on health and fitness and the world’s greatest bodybuilding promoters.
It did not take long before this became a reality. Joe Weider focused on promoting the world’s best bodybuilding events, which included the Mr. Olympia, and also focused on the publishing company.
Joe’s brother Ben, went on to focus on growing the amateur side of the sport, traveling all over the world, building relationships, and creating national federations, which today has over 200 national federations affiliated with the IFBB.
The IFBB has a solid structure with a president, executive committee, and members, that vote democratically for every new rule or new event.
The late Ben Weider was the president of the IFBB until 2006, when he retired from his position, 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. Rafael Santonja, a position he had held since the inception of the IFBB Profesional League in 2005.
In 2017 there were significant changes in the sport. First Manion resolved the NPC from a 501(c)(3) tax-free amateur organization to a private company that is owned by himself and his family. There are questions about whether he allegedly did this in a legal manner.
At the 2017 Olympia Weekend, Manion announced to Rafael that the NPC and the Pro League were leaving the IFBB and starting their own international organization.
In response, Dr Santonja created a new pro division for the IFBB called the IFBB Elite Pro, which has been rebranded in 2024 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.
Jim Manion went on to expand the NPC his amateur division, and continued to run the IFBB Professional League, which also included 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 still 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, no votes are allegedly needed to change any rules.
The fight for power
Before the split in 2017, the NPC and Jim Manion were USA’s affiliates to the IFBB, allowing 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 several others represented the USA at these events.
Jim Manion eventually stopped attending the IFBB Congress at the IFBB World Championships, and also stopped sending athletes to represent the USA after 1998, but continued to be affiliated with the IFBB and Dr. Rafael Santonja until 2017.
From 1946 till today, IFBB’s international events are a team sport, with athletes representing their country.
According to sources, Jim Manion allegedly never liked to work under the IFBB and Dr. Santonja, and allegedly, Jim Manion expected Ben Weider to give him total control of the IFBB amateur and pro division, but Ben Weider had other plans.
Even though Jim Manion was given the power to run the IFBB Professional League, he still had to work under the IFBB and President Dr. Rafael Santonja. This would all come to an end, as mentioned earlier 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 Jim Manion handpicked his grandson, Tyler Manion to run the show, keeping everything within the family.
The original and real IFBB
There are many trademarks and copyrights created with the IFBB name, but there is only one IFBB, and that is the one created by the late Ben Weider, and is still growing under the watchful eye of current IFBB President Dr. Rafael 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, recognized by the top sports establishments worldwide. No other federation or private entity comes close.
Jim 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’s only a matter of time before Jim Manion changes his pro organization from IFBB Professional League to NPC Pro, which would work perfectly with his NPC amateur division.
To make things worse for Jim Manion and his private bodybuilding company, IFBB President Dr. Rafael Santonja has decided to rebrand their pro division, IFBB Elite Pro to IFBB Pro. This surely will be seen by the Manion family that IFBB President Dr. Rafael Santonja is starting to tighten his hold on the IFBB name.
History cannot be denied, and 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 Jim Manion, who was originally selected to run the IFBB Professional League by Ben Weider himself, after Wayne Demilia left his post as President of the Pro Division, the fact is that IFBB President Dr. Rafael Santonja is the only true successor after Ben Weider retired.
