The IFBB Professional League has made a rule change regarding the status of pros who have not been maintaining their pro bodybuilding membership. Starting with the 2025 season, athletes who have earned their pro cards but do not maintain their annual membership for three consecutive seasons could lose their pro status and have to requalify to add “IFBB Pro” to their names or bylines.
The rule language is below, per the Pro Rules section of the IFBB’s website:
“An Active member who chooses not to renew their membership automatically becomes an Inactive member and may remain Inactive for up to three years. Active and Inactive members must abide by IFBB Professional League rules and policies.”
“If a member is not Active within the three-year period, their IFBB Pro status will be canceled and can only be reestablished through a pro qualifier.”
The statement says that competitors who held pro status before 2023 and have not renewed their membership have until Dec. 31, 2025, or their status will be canceled. The cost of the membership was not mentioned.
“Inactive” status refers to athletes who have become pros but do not pay the annual renewal fee to maintain their membership. It does not refer to competitors stepping onstage.
If a pro loses their pro status, they must win an NPC, NPC Worldwide, or Amateur Olympia pro qualifier show to rejoin the pro ranks.
New Pro Rules
There is a separate section for new pros who have earned pro status via a pro qualifier. Those competitors have up to one year from the date they earned that status to register with the IFBB Professional League and become Active. If they fail to do both within one year, their pro qualification is canceled, and they return to the amateur ranks.
The rules do not state that Active athletes must compete to maintain their Active status, but they do appear to incentivize more competitors to use their pro cards. The rules section does not state if the change will apply to past Olympia winners, who are granted lifetime eligibility to compete at the Olympia within their division, with permission required after five years following their last Olympia win.
Contract Deadlines for Pro Shows
Another section of the rules page clarifies how athletes can enter pro shows. Contract applications to compete in a pro show must be submitted by 3 p.m. EST on the Monday before the show. After that, the competitor lists are final.
No changes will be made to any Competitor List information or Contest data after the Contract Application deadline.
—IFBB Rules Section
The 2025 contest calendar begins on Feb. 22, 2025, with the Musclecontest Japan Pro Bikini division show. Athletes who wish to enter must submit their contracts by 3 p.m. EST on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025.
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