International Federation of Body Building (IFBB)

For those who are ardent fans of the ever-so-popular sport of Professional Bodybuilding, the International Federation of Body Building popularly addressed as the IFBB, does not really need an introduction. For the rest, in a nutshell, this is the brand which gave birth to the highest and the most prestigious honor in the genre of pro-body building, the Mr. / Ms. Olympia title.

It was founded in 1946 by Ben and Joe Weider who wanted to render a new dimension and honor to the sport of professional body building. In 1965, Joe Weider brought into emergence the first IFBB professional contest, Mr. Olympia to pave way for body builders with passion for this sport create a competitive career for themselves and earn money too. In 1996, Larry Scott, popularly known as the Legend, brought this platform into lime light when we won the title along with the prize sum of dollar 1000.By 2006, there took place over 40 IFBB competitions and a total prize money of 1.6 million dollars has been won.

However, it is not easy for any and every person to get into the IFBB. In order to become what is called an ‘IFBB Pro', one first needs to earn an IFBB pro card. This starts with the bodybuilder first winning the regional contest weight class. If he places well in it, he receives an invite from the country's National Championship Contest for that particular year. This indeed comes in as an opportunity for him to prove his grit, his efficiency and his hunger for excellence in the field. The winners of all the respective weight classes compete at the National Championships which in turn gives them an avenue to head myriad other contests. This is how one of them proves to be the Champion of the Year who is then offered the ‘Pro Card'. Some organizations may give Pro Cards to the winner of every weight class so there might be chances of more than one individual gaining this Card in a single year. The body builders also get an opportunity to earn a Pro Card at the IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships which is a drug tested event. Ronnie Coleman won his IFBB Pro Card at this forum.

Besides, the NPC or the National Physique committee is also affiliated with the IFBB and award IFBB Pro Cards to its Heavyweight and Super weight winners. The other three contests where a body builder can earn a pro card includes The Nationals, The North American Championships and The USA Championships.

It was the IFBB president Ben Weider's efforts which led body building to be an official part Olympic Games. From the 1980's he petitioned the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for inclusion in the same and on 1 st August 2000, IFBB was finally made permanent.

The IFBB continues to rein as the most sought-after and prestigious organization in the genre of Bodybuilding, rendering accolades that people consider to be a symbol of greatest honor one can ever get in the history the sport!


International Federation of Body Building

Ben Weider

Benjamin "Ben" Weider, OC, CQ (February 1, 1923 – October 17, 2008) was the co-founder of the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (IFBB) along with brother Joe Weider. He was a Canadian businessman from Montreal, well-known in two areas: Bodybuilding and Napoleonic history.

Benjamin Weider was born on 1 February 1923 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Weider served in the Canadian armed forces during World War II.

In bodybuilding he founded and ran a physical fitness and sporting goods company bearing his name. He was IFBB president until October 29, 2006, when he announced his retirement. He donated a gym to the Israeli Knesset.

In Napoleonic circles Weider was known as a forceful advocate of the theory that Napoleon was assassinated by a member of his entourage during his exile in Saint Helena. He co-authored several books, Assassination at St. Helena and Assassination at St. Helena Revisited, with Sten Forshufvud and The Murder Of Napoleon, with David Hapgood about this. Weider also founded the International Napoleonic Society, of which he was the President, and wrote numerous articles for this organization.

In 1975 he was made a Member of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Officer in 2006. In 2000, he was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec. On October 12, 2000, he received the French Legion of Honor, that country's highest honour, which was established by Bonaparte himself. Weider was also a 1984 nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, a member of the Quebec Sports Hall of Fame, and a Commander of the Venerable Order of St. John. He also had several honorary doctorate degrees. The Institute on Napoleon and the French Revolution at the Florida State University History Department has recently created the Ben Weider Chair in Revolutionary Studies. In total, Ben accumulated over 66 awards and honours during his lifetime.

From 1998 to 2005, Ben Weider was Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the 62nd (Shawinigan) Field Artillery Regiment, RCA. In 2005, he was promoted to Honorary Colonel of that military unit. In October 2006, Ben Weider unexpectedly retired as president of the IFBB.

In 2008, he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 20th Anniversary Arnold Classic (only the eighth time in the competition's history that this award had been presented).

Ben owned one of the most extensive collections of Napoleon memorabilia, including one of the bicorne hats worn by the "The Little Corporal" during the invasion of Russia in 1812, of which only 12 are known to still exist today. Three weeks before his death, Ben donated his entire set of priceless Napoleonic artifacts, over 60 pieces in all, to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, making it one of the largest collections of its kind in the world. Prince Charles Napoleon, great-great-grandson of Napoleon's youngest brother Jerome, was on hand to inaugurate the museum's new permanent gallery on Oct. 23.

Death


Weider died on October 17, 2008, at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal.


Joe Weider

Josef E. "Joe" Weider (born November 29, 1919) is the Canadian co-founder of the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB) along with brother Ben Weider and creator of the Mr. Olympia, the Ms. Olympia, and the now-defunct Masters Olympia bodybuilding contests. He is the publisher of several bodybuilding and fitness-related magazines, most notably Muscle & Fitness, Flex, Men's Fitness and Shape, and is the manufacturer of a line of fitness equipment and fitness supplements.

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, before founding the IFBB, Weider published the first issue of Your Physique magazine in 1936, when he was 17 years old. Thirty years later, in 1966, the publication was renamed Muscle Builder magazine. The name changed again to Muscle & Fitness in 1980. Other magazines published by Weider's publishing empire include "Mr America", "Muscle Power", Shape, Men's Fitness, Living Fit, Prime Health and Fitness, Fit Pregnancy, Cooks, Senior Golfer, and Flex. He also authored numerous training courses beginning in the 1950s and developed the Weider System of Bodybuilding course. In addition, he penned numerous books beginning with The Weider System of Bodybuilding (1981) and co-wrote the 2006 biography Brothers Of Iron with Ben Weider. In 1983, Weider was named "Publisher of the Year" by The Periodical and Book Association.

Weider, the scrawny, poor Jewish boy with a 7th-grade education, began his bodybuilding and publishing empire with $7 at age 17 after building his own barbells out of junked car wheels and axles. In the 1950s he met Betty Brosmer, who was then the highest-paid pinup model in the U.S. In 1961 he married Betty Brosmer, co-founder of the International Federation of BodyBuilders.

In the late 1990s his publication company, Weider Publications, was sold to American Media.

On Labor Day 2006, California governor and several-time Mr. Olympia winner Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Weider protege, presented him with the Venice Muscle Beach Hall of Fame's Lifetime Achievement award. During Weider's introduction, Schwarzenegger credited Weider with inspiring him and bringing him to the United States.