IFBB W/A bodybuilding championship begins today
Over 45 elite male and female bodybuilding and fitness athletes will converge on the Gamashi Hall of the Bukom Boxing Arena today to vie for the eight IFBB PRO Cards available at the 2025 IFBB West African Bodybuilding Championship.
The championship, the fourth since its inception in 2022, is the second Pro Card bodybuilding competition on the continent.
It is opened to all IFBB-affiliated national federations from Africa and features multiple bodybuilding and fitness categories.
Beginning today and running through April 28, the competition will draw participants from Nigeria, Niger, Togo, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, DR Congo, and Ghana.
The prestigious championship aims to bring together top-tier bodybuilding athletes across West Africa to foster regional unity and promote the growth of the sport within the continent.
Categories to be contested includes men’s fit bodybuilding, men’s fit classic physique, men’s classic bodybuilding, men’s physique, muscular men’s physique, women’s body fitness, women’s bikini, and women’s wellness.
The top three athletes in each category will be awarded medals, while the top six athletes in each category will receive a certificates and trophies, with the overall winners in the various categories receiving the coveted IFBB Pro Cards.
Speaking at the launch of the championship on Tuesday, the President of the Ghana Bodybuilding and Fitness Association (GBFA), Mr Abdul Hayye Yartey, stated that Ghana was ready to host one of the best-organised championships in recent times.
“The competition has seen tremendous growth; from six participating countries last year, the numbers have doubled this year, showing how attractive the competition has become,” he indicated.
According to him, the GBFA, together with its neighbouring associations, is on a mission to make the West African Championship the biggest event in Africa, and it is steadily getting there.
“A Pro Card in bodybuilding is a symbol of achieving a high level of accomplishment in the sport that grants athletes access to the professional level. Creating a platform for these athletes to realise their dreams is our ultimate goal,” he added.
Mr Yartey also announced that as part of promoting fitness among individuals, there will be an Aerobics Championship that will serve as a curtain-raiser for the sub-regional event.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY
