A Brazilian regional bodybuilding show featuring a Men’s Wellness division has sparked intrigue on the internet, with many wondering what the future holds for the new category. In a recent Instagram post, IFBB Vice President Tyler Manion assured fans that the IFBB Pro League has no intention of adding new divisions and is happy with what it currently offers.
The 2024 Roraima Classic took place on February 10 and made history having introduced the world’s first Men’s Wellness division. As a regional bodybuilding event, this show was not sanctioned by the NPC or the IFBB Pro League but still attracted both negative and positive attention from the public, especially within the fitness and bodybuilding community.
San Moraes, the first Men’s Wellness competitor at the event, also received mixed reactions, and while some fans and IFBB Pros believe the new category could be a ‘slap in the face to women,’ others, such as Wellness queen Angela Borges, would accept the new division wholeheartedly.
At present, the IFBB Pro League provides five divisions for men and six for women. While some had hoped to see Men’s Wellness take off, it appears the IFBB Pro League has no plans of adding any new divisions to its organization.
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Tyler Manion Shoots Down New Men’s Wellness Division for NPC, NPC WW, and the IFBB Pro League
In a statement released via Instagram stories on February 12, 2024, Manion confirmed that the IFBB Pro League has no plans of adding new bodybuilding divisions.
“If you don’t see an official announcement from one of our official pages then it isn’t official news regarding the organizations. The NPC, NPC WW, and the IFBB Pro League are not adding any divisions and we are very pleased with what we currently offer,” Tyler Manion explains.
Since the Roraima Classic and San Moraes’s physique went viral, fans and bodybuilders alike have been discussing whether or not the IFBB Pro League should have a place for Men’s Wellness. Wellness Olympia contender Angela Borges extended her support for the division after explaining that it wouldn’t interfere with women’s competitions.
“UNDERSTAND: This category does not compete with US WOMEN, so it has my support. 👍🏻
The search for the perfect body has always permeated the mind in the imaginary human, for me, the definition that most condensates this idea of perfection is; “to look in the mirror and feel good. “After all, that’s what every athlete seeks in his heart and the stage, it’s just the place where he shares the joy of his achievements.
A new category is emerging, with its unique criteria and characteristics, with its specific clothing and props and especially with its athletes and the audience as lovers of bodybuilding as all of us; yes, lovers of a category, not the ones we were used to, but a new one as we have seen before in past. This is how it happened throughout the history of bodybuilding, whenever a new category was introduced, the discussion about the novelty settled in, time has shown that reason prevailed and so we have so many beautiful categories to appreciate.
A few years ago the Wellness category was going through the same situation, maybe the public does not know this story very well, but I lived it from inside, both in Brazil and in the world and today I know that my eleven years competing in more than 40 countries had their contribution to the Respect and visibility of the Wellness category in the world.
Welcome Mens Wellness category, may your work help bring more people to the gym, that is our duty as athletes, to inspire people.” Borges wrote.
Meanwhile, bodybuilding standout Rich Gaspari was indifferent about the possibility of the new category:
“Now I’m old school but I’m definitely not a fan. What do you think? Should this be a new category in the USA? Hmmm??” Gaspari posted.
Former 1983 Mr. Olympia Samir Bannout was outright disappointed, however, Kai Greene appeared to welcome the division.
In a post shared from the Bisandtris Instagram handle, former seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath reacted to the emergence of the new category.
“Why not add Men’s Fitness? Tons of former competitive gymnasts could do some badass routines. I thought it was a division back in the 90s, but maybe that was just bodybuilders doing fitness routines in their posing rounds on ESPN.” expressed Heath.
The Roraima Classic made a statement, reaffirming their commitment to the future of Men’s Wellness.
“❤️ With great joy we announce that in our next event we will have the first category in Brazil called MENS WELLNESS.
❤️ The MENS WELLNESS category is an opportunity for men to show their strength, beauty and physical abilities, without forgetting the importance of the inclusion of people who often have no space within the sport.
❤️ This category won’t hurt any woman, since it’s a NEW category, made for THEM.
💪🏻 We’re excited to bring this news to Brazil and we hope everyone can participate and support this initiative. Together, we can build a more inclusive and diverse Sports Environment. Dont miss out on our next event, it’s going to be awesome!
❤️Our first event we had a special participation from athlete @ssan_moraes and we saw how much support we had, and the question came to us, WHY NOT?” shared from the Roraima Classic Instagram page.
With the special participation of San Moraes, the promotion is confident that the division could grow with time. Considering the mixed reactions to the Roraima Classic’s introduction to Men’s Wellness, fans, and athletes are highly curious about when the division will return to another regional event.
While some bodybuilders embrace the new division more readily than others, it’s important to note that IFBB Pro League Vice President Tyler Manion has confirmed that there are currently no intentions to incorporate it into the existing division structure.
READ: IFBB VP Tyler Manion Reveals New Height and Weight Restriction Rules for Men’s Physique Division
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