| Sport | Amateur bodybuilding |
|---|---|
| Category | Sports governing body |
| Jurisdiction | International |
| Abbreviation | NPC |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Affiliation | IFBB Professional League
IFBB Amateur International / International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness (formerly) |
| Affiliation date | Since 2005 (IFBB Professional League)
Until September 18, 2017 (IFBB Amateur International / International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness) |
| Headquarters | PO Box 789, Carnegie 15106, United States of America |
| President | Jim Manion |
| Official website | |
| npcnewsonline | |
The National Physique Committee (NPC) is the largest amateur bodybuilding organization in the United States.[1] Amateur bodybuilders compete in competitions from local to national competitions sanctioned by the NPC. While the term "bodybuilding" is commonly used to refer to athletes participating in contests sanctioned by the NPC and IFBB Pro League, nine divisions are represented including men's bodybuilding, women's bodybuilding, bikini, men's physique, classic physique, women's physique, figure, fitness, and wellness.
The Amateur Athletic Union is an organization that governs many amateur level sports. Each sport has a committee that provides direct oversight of that sport. For the sport of bodybuilding Jim Manion was the president of the Physique Committee. Manion decided that in order to better promote the sport of bodybuilding, he would need to break away from the AAU which he did when he founded the National Physique Committee in the early 1980s.[2]
The NPC is the only amateur organization recognized by the IFBB Professional League.[3] The IFBB Pro League is the professional league for bodybuilding athletes and the sanctioning body for the world's largest professional contests such as the Mr. Olympia, Arnold Sports Festival, and Legion Sports Fest. In order to become an IFBB professional athlete an athlete must compete at an IFBB Pro Qualifier such as the NPC Nationals Championship, NPC USA Championship, or any other pro qualifier. Professional status will be awarded to top placing athletes.
Athletes must possess a valid NPC card to compete in an NPC show. NPC cards are valid for a calendar year.
An athlete must be a citizen to compete in the following national competitions:
Proof of citizenship must be one of the following:
Residency is four (4) months prior to a contest or must be a full-time student in the area.[4]
(Dependent on event)
(Only relevant to specific events) 2 Classes:
3 Classes:
4 Classes:
