The Pittsburgh Pro is a popular event that takes place at the beginning of May every year. Outside of the classic physique and bikini division shows that take place there every year, there are two other noteworthy events. One is that the top Open contenders for the Olympia make their final offseason appearances and guest pose before they begin their prep for the big show in September.
The other is there is always a big announcement that gets the bodybuilding world talking. And it was definitely the headline that got a lot of attention for 2019.
IFBB Pro League President Jim Manion took to the stage to make a major announcement. He stated that starting in 2020, there will be a new division that will be the 9th of the organization overall and the fifth for female competitors. There will also be wellness divisions in the National Physique Committee (NPC) in both the US and NPC Worldwide.
Manion expressed that there has been demand for this division, but he wanted to approach with care.
“We’ve got a lot of requests for it. We want to get everything right, make sure we get all the rules done, and get it rolled out next year for our regional shows, national shows with pro qualifiers, and pro shows.”
IFBB Pro League judge Sandy Williamson also spoke at the announcement and discussed how the popularity has grown about this movement in other forms around the world. “It’s got a huge interest overseas, especially in some countries it has become very popular.”
Other fitness and bodybuilding organizations have included wellness divisions and have seen success, which is what has helped it grow in popularity. There weren’t many other details shared at this announcement besides that it would launch in the beginning of the 2020 calendar year. Williamson said to watch for future announcements to come as get closer to the end of 2019 that will cover more about the rules and guidelines for this new division.
In other bodybuilding federations, the look of athletes competing in their respective Wellness divisions are a muscular physique without much separation that appear athletic and aesthetic. Manion and Williamson didn’t give an account or example or what the look would be for the IFBB Pro League or NPC. When more information about this new division is shared, we’ll share that with you here on BarBend.
