What are bodybuilding federations (IFBB, NPC, WNBF)?

In one line

A bodybuilding federation is an organization that runs or approves bodybuilding contests and sets their rules and who may enter.

What are bodybuilding federations (IFBB, NPC, WNBF)?
What do the letters before a contest name mean?
Bodybuilding contest posters and athlete profiles often carry letters like IFBB, NPC, and WNBF. They are all names of organizations that run contests. This post explains what these organizations do and how they differ.
In one line
An organization that runs contests and writes the rules
A bodybuilding federation runs or approves bodybuilding contests and sets their rules and who may enter. Each federation writes its own rules. So a division with the same name can have different standards depending on which federation's contest it is.
The word 'federation'
Groups that agree to act together
In the dictionary, a federation is a body formed when groups or countries with a shared goal agree to help each other and act together. The 'Federation' in the full English names of the IFBB and WNBF means exactly that. The NPC's name ends in 'Committee', but it also runs contests and sets rules.
What a federation does
Rules, judges, registration, drug tests
A federation sets contest rules: the divisions, what competitors wear, the fixed poses every competitor performs in turn (mandatory poses), and weight classes. It trains judges and, before a contest, measures competitors' height and weight to register them. It also decides how competitors are tested for banned drugs.
IFBB - the international federation
Started in Canada in 1946
The IFBB was founded in 1946 in Montreal, Canada, by brothers Joe and Ben Weider. The first two member countries were Canada and the USA. Today bodybuilding bodies from more than 200 countries belong to it, and competitors enter international contests through their own country's body.
The IFBB Pro League
A separate body for pro contests
The IFBB Pro League runs pro contests, meaning contests open only to competitors who have earned pro status. The Weider brothers created it in 2005 as an organization separate from the IFBB. It is also the body that officially approves the pro bodybuilding contest 'Mr. Olympia'.
NPC - the US amateur body
The step up to the Pro League
An amateur is a competitor who enters contests without pro status. The NPC (National Physique Committee) runs amateur contests in the USA, and since 2017 it has also run amateur contests abroad under the name 'NPC Worldwide'. 'Pro Qualifier' contests held by these two, amateur contests with pro status as the prize, are the only path to IFBB Pro League pro status.
WNBF - a natural federation
A federation built on drug testing
The WNBF (World Natural Bodybuilding Federation) began in New York in the late 1980s. It runs 'natural' contests for people who have not used muscle-building drugs. From its first pro contest in 1990, only competitors who passed drug tests were allowed on stage.
Same division, different rules 1
Weight limits differ by federation
Classic Physique is a division with a maximum body weight for each height. At a height of 175 cm, the IFBB senior limit is 83 kg, while the NPC limit is about 88 kg. Even when the division name is the same, each federation has its own chart.
Same division, different rules 2
Drug testing differs too
The IFBB follows the world sports rules on banned drugs (the World Anti-Doping Agency code) and tests selected competitors at continental and world championships. The WNBF requires every competitor to pass a lie detector test before going on stage, and also runs surprise urine tests outside contest season.
Common misconception
Are the IFBB and the IFBB Pro League the same body?
No. The names are similar, but they have been separate organizations since 2005. The IFBB is an international federation made up of national bodies. The IFBB Pro League runs pro contests, and the amateur contests below it are run by the NPC and NPC Worldwide.
Summary
Organizations that run contests and set rules
A bodybuilding federation runs or approves contests and sets the rules and who may enter, and the rules differ from one federation to another. The IFBB and the IFBB Pro League are different organizations with similar names. Related terms: pro card, natural bodybuilding, Mr. Olympia.