After two successful stagings in June and last week at Johnny B. Good in Glorietta, Makati, the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation of the Philippines plans to bring the tournament outside of Manila next year, with an eye on Cebu hosting the third stage.
The second leg of the WNBF drew more than 30 bodybuilders, with Grant Teng winning the Bodybuilding Category and Harold Goma topping the Physique Division. The cast included participants from Taiwan and Japan.
The WNBF isn’t just your international bodybuilding association as it puts a premium of being a drug-free tournament.
The competition strictly features ‘all natural’ method for bodybuilders without the benefit of banned substances.
“It’s how you train and the amount of protein you eat, the amount of fat, the amount of carbs you eat,” said WNBFP Vice President Chris Byrne, explaining the proper way of achieving a sculpted body even without the benefit of performance-enhancing drugs.
“When you guys come to the show, you’ll see amazing bodies and you’ll be blown by their physiques and what they’ve accomplished just from eating well and working out well,” Byrne added.
As an affiliate of WNBF, the local chapter will also be promoting stringent drug-testing among tournament participants.
Competitors are required to pass a polygraph test performed by an officially registered examiner before they are permitted to step on stage.
All overall winners and random athletes, meanwhile, are required to undergo urine tests to ensure the absence of banned substances in their system.
Athletes who fail the polygraph and urine test will be banned from the federation for at least seven years.
“We’re even more stringent than the Olympics. The Olympics I think, they ban one year or a year and a half, where we ban for seven years,” said Byrne. “We follow the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) list (of banned substances) just like any other Olympic sports.”
Including the Philippines, the WNBF already has 28 member countries, five of which just joined the federation last July.
And more are expected to join, in time for the Cebu stage next year.