INNOVATION AND INITIATIVE
IBBFF strives to be a leading light for our Bodybuilding & Fitness community. Experienced athletes and long-standing supporters in India have already seen our achievements in improving and expanding the local competition stage, both figuratively and literally, beyond anything ever seen in India’s history. This, however, is only the first step.
In addition to the ongoing innovations in how we organize and execute our championships, IBBFF will launch initiatives in an effort to strengthen and expand our Bodybuilding & Fitness community. These initiatives will be announced so that everyone knows what we are doing and can understand what we are trying to achieve.
Announcing these initiatives also tells the Bodybuilding & Fitness/community IBBFF’s long-term vision, the depth of the strategic planning that is underway, and our ambition to forge a path to a far better future for our sport.
The first initiatives will be announced in the coming weeks, and others will be introduced over time. Some will be ongoing initiatives while others will last for specified periods of time. In structuring and announcing our efforts in this way, IBBFF will communicate its goals and hold itself accountable to them in public, leading to greater transparency in the Bodybuilding & Fitness community. And in doing this, we hope others will follow our lead in innovating towards the future.
BUILDING A BETTER BODYBUILDING & FITNESS COMMUNITY INITIATIVE
In 2017, IBBFF publishing a Code of Conduct for its officials and volunteers. To improve governance, it was important to hold IBBFF’s own personnel accountable to certain standards.
we are announcing a CODE OF CONDUCT FOR ATHLETES, effective immediately. This is to provide Bodybuilding & Fitness community rules for a rapidly growing sport in INDIA.
In all IBBFF championships going forward, athletes’ applications will be reviewed for compliance with the Code of Conduct.
An application of Entry for Playing (as a Entry Form) to a championship will be like an application to a private university:
As a guideline, minor violations of the Code of Conduct will negatively affect an athlete’s applications for two years, while major breaches will have a negative effect for five or more years. Outstanding positive conduct by an athlete, such as being a very good role model or contributing selflessly to the community, can counter the effects of an athlete’s violations of the Code of Conduct in the evaluation by the IBBFF Committee.
CODE OF CONDUCT FOR ATHLETES
IBBFF’s Code of Conduct for Athletes will be published on its website . Athletes are required to read the full Code of Conduct, but a summary is provided here:
CONFLICTS
Athletes must not have any contractual conflicts or any serious conflicts of interest.
ROLE MODELS
Athletes must not have:
(a) been involved in acts of moral turpitude;
(b) been involved in acts that seriously offend public morality, such as pornography;
(c) demonstrated unsportsmanlike behavior;
(d) been a bad role model for the community.
RESPECT OF OFFICIALS AND RULES:
Athletes must not act with disrespect towards IBBFF’s officials and must not show disregard for the rules and procedures of IBBFF’s championships and events.
ANNUAL LIMIT
Athletes should not enter an excessive number of championships, whether run by IBBFF or its organizer, to avoid athletes over-competing. There is no absolute cut-off, though bodybuilders should try to limit themselves to championship per year period and other athletes also should try to limit themselves to championships per year period.
TROPHY CHASING:
Athletes must not participate in another organizer’s event to win a title that is substantially similar to that of IBBFF’s championship titles, such as anything containing the words “Mr India”, etc.(Whatever the motivations of the organizers that create such events, IBBFF considers the athletes who enter far less competitive events to pursue titles similar to IBBFF’s titles to be making a misrepresentation to the Bodybuilding & Fitness community,
MISREPRESENTING TITLES:
Athletes must not consistently misrepresent the titles they have won in championships.
TRUTH IN MARKETING INITIATIVE
IBBFF is fighting to counter negative trends in the community. One such trend is that the marketing by event organizers has become extremely misleading about Prize money in the Bodybuilding & Fitness Championship , IBBFF feels,this is an unethical practice.
We wish to be clear that IBBFF strongly believes that prize money should NOT motivate amateur athletes.
An athlete should be driven to compete at the highest level possible, on the best stage possible, against the strongest competitors possible.
For other Championship ,Having said this, it is important for IBBFF to set the tone for the Bodybuilding & Fitness community on this issue. As such, IBBFF has begun announcing its cash prizes for its various championships and going forward.
SUPPORTING A STRONGER ECOSYSTEM INITIATIVE
IBBFF is committed to building up the community for our sport. This includes ensuring that the overall ecosystem that our community depends on is healthy.
This ecosystem includes athletes, supporters, Championship, organizers, GYMs, fitness industry companies, clients, and so on. A key dimension of any ecosystem is financial: opportunities, jobs, sponsorships, etc.
The reality is that the vast majority of amateur sports in the vast majority of countries are underfunded or unfunded. And the ecosystems they depend on are weak. It is difficult for athletes to make a living or get decent opportunities. This financial reality will not change.
The simple fact is: Athletes must pursue the sport out of passion, first and foremost.
We cannot escape the force of gravity imposed by financial reality, here in India or anywhere else in the world. But IBBFF is committed to a long-term view of improving things where possible. We cannot discuss the IBBFF strategy we have in the coming years to try to do this.
NATIONAL TEAM INITIATIVE
IBBFF will begin building a National Team for Indian athletes in our sport. The National Team will include a Professional team and an Amateur team.
This effort will take time, as we have an ambitious vision. We are not looking to emulate the past, when Government support was substantial, athletes were few, and the sport was very different. That was the past, and we prefer not to walk in anyone’s footsteps.
We are looking to create something that will be universally regarded as THE platform for India’s best athletes of the coming generation.
Entry into the National Team will be by National Championships only, though athletes are free to express interest. To be eligible for the National Team, athletes must have competed in a IBBFFchampionship at the most competitive level and excelled. An athlete must step on our stage so that the entire Bodybuilding & Fitness community in India is able to judge for itself whether an athlete admitted to the National Team was worthy of the accolade. This is important to the transparency of the process and to the legitimacy of the team.
IBBFF will invest heavily into the National Team in the coming years. As such, in addition to performing well at a IBBFF championship, there will be other strict criteria to be on the team. One is that athletes who compete under the India name with any other organization are not eligible for a period of Five years to join the National Team.
(Such athletes can still apply to enter IBBFF championships, and their applications will be evaluated holistically vis-à-vis the published Code of Conduct for Athletes of IBBFF .