2012 OCB/NANBF/IFPA Changes

Posted on January 12th, 2012

2012 brings some changes for the OCB, NANBF and IFPA – changes to cater to demand, trends and evolvement. Changes are as follows:

IFPA Pro


•The IFPA will begin offering Pro Bikini divisions (Open only for now, not Masters also) in 2012 with May 26th in Montgomery, Alabama being the first one. All previous Bikini Open winners (2010 and 2011) at NANBF/OCB shows that were pro qualifiers are considered eligible for IFPA Pro Bikini now.


•The IFPA membership fee will increase $5 per year to $80 annually.


•If a competitor elects to voluntarily give up pro status to go back to amateur competition, he/she cannot ever go back to the IFPA pro level.


•Competitors will only be able to qualify to compete as pros in the IFPA by qualifying at an IFPA-affiliated amateur event (NANBF, OCB and UNBA in the U.S.) Winning pro qualifiers with other federations will no longer meet eligibility requirements for competing in the IFPA. The change does not have an effect on how eligibility could have been obtained prior to 2012 (meaning if someone won an NGA or WNBF pro qualifier within the past two years prior to 2012, that person will still be considered eligible for the IFPA – criteria that was in effect at that time). A new exception for having IFPA pro eligibility extended to pros of other federations will be for WNBF, NGA or PNBA pro show class winners if won in the past two years.


•IFPA Pro Masters show overall winners will be considered eligible for Pro Open events afterwards, if not already (note that “if placing (at an IFPA Pro Masters show) above a competitor who is eligible for Pro Open IFPA competition, said competitor is considered IFPA Pro Open qualified afterwards will still apply to all.


•Fifteen competitors will now be a defined breaking point for creating another class in IFPA Pro divisions. Class size should not exceed 15 at any IFPA event now.


•Pro eligibilities will now extend to end of a second year from the time one became qualified to compete as a pro (rather than be strictly two years from the time qualified). As an example, someone winning pro eligibility at, say, an April 23, 2011 event would be considered eligible to compete in the IFPA through December 31, 2013 (instead of April 30, 2013).

OCB/NANBF Amateur


•The annual membership fee for the OCB and NANBF will increase $10 to $60/year.


•The Masters pro qualifier’s rule of having to have five or more competitors to award a Pro Masters card will no longer apply beginning in 2012.


•The criteria to be used for all IFPA pro qualifiers starting in 2012 are to be: Bodybuilding, Figure and Bikini Open and Masters (Age 40+ for men, Age 35+ for women) division overall winners only become eligible for IFPA pro competition in their respective category. The only time pro cards in addition to those at IFPA pro qualifiers are to be awarded is when there are 30 or more participants in a division (participants, not entries where some may have dropped out or not passed a polygraph screening prior to the event). When there are 30 or more participants in a division, the overall runner-up is also awarded IFPA pro eligibility (for example, if a Figure Open division at an IFPA pro qualifier has four classes – one with 10 competitors, one with 8, one with 7 and one with 6 (31 participants) – a second IFPA pro card is awarded to the competitor who was ranked second in the division overall judging.



Pro & Amateur


•Plans for moving the Masters age from 35+ to 40+ for females will begin in 2013. The process will take time to complete. Competitors age 35-39 who are currently eligible for Pro Masters cannot, in fairness, all of the sudden no longer be eligible for a Pro Masters contest. The IFPA will have to remain at Age 35+ for 2013 while amateur affiliates began running Age 36+ divisions – each respectively incrementing by a year until both are operating at Age 40+ (a competitor could have qualified at a last show of the year with the NANBF or OCB (November 19, 2011) and have just turned 35, thus IFPA Pro Masters having to remain at 35 for a year while amateur affiliates go to 36+). Masters ages for females will remain as 35+ in both the pro and amateur contests for 2012.

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