Ms.I.O.Union?

The Arnold Classic has become the premier event in Women's Professional Bodybuilding. What is most significant, however, is how well the female competitors are supported, promoted and rewarded at the show. At a time when women's bodybuilding has been subject to criticism from both the bodybuilding federations and physique magazines, women continue to receive first class treatment in Columbus. Bill Dobbins expressed those sentiments in an interview with Jim Lorimer, Co-Promoter of the Arnold Weekend, who went on to describe how this all came about.

"We have always found that our Columbus shows attract a very enthusiastic audience for women's bodybuilding and fitness and that's what allows us to offer this amount of prize money. Actually, we got so many requests to enter the shows that we had to disappoint a number of very qualified female competitors. We just can't invite all of them. I think our success in Columbus shows that you can sell tickets to women's physique events if you go about promoting the contests properly. The women work just as hard and deserve the same amount of respect. You are not going to see any kind of gender discrimination where Arnold is involved. He feels the same way I do about giving the female competitors the full respect and support they deserve."

Four months have passed since the 2002 Ms. International contest that saw Andrulla Blanchette denied permission to compete along side her peers. The incident has created little controversy and has been passed along without receiving much attention from those associated with the sport. The situation clearly reflects a lack of policy and procedure being consistently applied by the IFBB, specifically related to both contracts and fines. The resulting outcome negatively impacts the sport, as it creates a public image lacking in credibility, thus preventing future success.

As of this moment, Andrulla's profile has been viewed on the Arnold Classic website 12687 times.

Sequence of Events
In December 2001, Wayne Demilia contacted Andrulla about her plans to compete at the upcoming Ms. International in Ohio. She had been chosen by the shows co-promoter, Jim Lorimer, and accepted his invitation. Like any competitive bodybuilder, she struggled through weeks of contest preparation and arrived in New York ten days prior to acclimatize to the new environment. She called Wayne on Wednesday morning before departing for Columbus, to remind him to bring her 2000 Ms. Olympia gold medal to the show (it was being replaced, the original had been engraved with the wrong name). He was unavailable, so she left a message on his voicemail. Wayne returned the call sometime later and said that the promoter had scratched her off the competitor list earlier that same morning. Apparently, he had not been informed of her travel plans and was not aware that she would be competing at the contest. On his advice, she called Mr. Lorimer who was quite concerned since they had used her photograph for the event's promotion. She explained that she had been reachable via email or phone should there have been any need to contact her. He asked her to have Wayne call him personally. She waited for a reply, heard nothing, and flew into Columbus.

On Thursday evening, Wayne and Jim Manion met Andrulla outside the competitor's meeting. She was told that she would not be allowed to compete at the show, as she was required to use the IFBB assigned travel agent as a way to be reimbursed. She reminded them that she had fronted her travel expenses at previous events and been reimbursed by the IFBB at a later date. However, because of the misunderstanding, she was willing to cover her own expenses. Wayne then mentioned the contract he had not received. He told her that, like Kevin Levrone who was fined $25,000 for his unsigned contract at the 2001 Mr. Olympia, she would also have to pay a fine to compete, but that her amount would be reduced to $5,000. Later that evening, other officials said they would speak to Wayne on her behalf. She waited for a reply, heard nothing and went to bed.

The next morning, Andrulla caught up with Wayne in the hotel lobby and was informed that paying the fine was no longer an option, as she would not be able to come up with the money in time to compete. She assured him that she could, but he pointed to the fact that she had not been weighed in the night before. His final answer to her was "NO" and she was told to tell her fans that she had "screwed up." Andrulla watched the show from the audience with the rest of the fans who came to see her compete.

She said, he said…
The story that followed had Andrulla intent on forming a union in reaction to the above sequence of events, featuring her and her fellow competitors in the ultimate act of defiance; signing contracts to compete at future shows and not showing up. Apparently, some of the athletes who had been contacted about the plan had phoned Wayne and told him the story. Wayne responded, in a letter to Bill Dobbins, with a threat to end women's bodybuilding if they, in fact, went through with it.

"We are the only organization doing anything for the athletes and if they want to be treated like professionals, then they have to act like professionals. Myself and other officials are tired of covering for athletes…then being reported as the worst people in the sport. I have put out too much of my own money to cover expenses of shows…to keep them going. If it weren't for me, Jim Manion, Jan Tana and Jim Lorimer, there would not be any women's bodybuilding. I have heard that Andrulla and Charles Peebles are trying to start a union…that will be their final mistake, because if that happens, we will end Women's Bodybuilding." 3

As of this moment, Andrulla's profile has been viewed on the Arnold Classic website 12914 times.

Crime and Punishment
In the course of less than 48 hours, the reasons for not allowing Andrulla to compete initially started over the IFBB not being informed of her travel plans or using the official IFBB travel agent and then to an unsigned contract. After some discussion, she had been originally offered the option of paying a fine, only to have it later retracted because of her perceived inability to pay it on time. She was finally prevented from competing due to the fact that she had not been weighed in the night before. Followed later by a threat to end one side of an entire sport based on rumors and speculation about forming an organization, albeit a legal one, based on the assumption that it was even true in the first place.

It's hard to imagine that any athlete would agree to such a thing and it sounds ludicrous to think that someone would take it seriously. The penalty for pulling a stunt like this is actually stated quite clearly in the contract and all competitors know that this situation would carry a financial penalty. It's doubtful that Andrulla would propose such an idea to other female bodybuilders, knowing full well the legal ramifications that would follow and based on the lack of support she had already received. This is the same person who, on stage at the Pose and Perform exhibition in New York, said that the idea of a forming a union could never work due to the fact that the women competed against one another.

Andrulla Blanchette has been described as a consummate professional and ambassador to the sport of female bodybuilding. She is currently at the top of her field and is an athlete that, at some point the IFBB has obviously agreed, best represents their idea of what a champion should be. In all fairness, athletes should assume personal responsibility and ensure that details, such as contracts, are taken care of prior to the event. However, Mr. Lorimer, by his own admission, "got so many requests to enter the show that he had to disappoint a number of very qualified female competitors". How could he now deny an athlete on the day of the show, that he has both invited to compete and used to promote, the opportunity to step on stage in front of an audience that adores her? A competitor that has also accepted her role in the misunderstanding, agreed to pay a fine, cover her own travel expenses, and compete in the HW class above for not being officially weighed in. What was the real issue here? Did the punishment fit the crime? Why was it so harsh?

This situation could have been prevented with a simple phone call. It must be the responsibility of the promoter to make sure that these logistical items are taken care of weeks in advance. Assuming that this detail was overlooked, it could have been corrected on the Wednesday morning and dealt with in a more professional way. Mr. Lorimer should not have waited until the day before the show to remove Andrulla's name from the list, and then refuse to put it back on only hours later. If she was not going to be allowed to compete, regardless of the reason, she should have been informed prior to her flight to Columbus. When she did arrive, they could have met to discuss the situation prior to the weigh-in and rendered a decision at that time. Finally, if there was no chance for her to accept the offer to pay a fine, it should never have been put on the table. Seeing how she was not from the US, a reasonable amount of time should have been granted to enable her to come up with the money or negotiate a payment plan following the show.

Future Considerations
What are the official policies and procedures in place for this type of situation? Who is responsible for applying them? Are the athletes aware of the potential consequences in a situation like this? Where does confirmation take place and who is responsible for making sure these details are communicated to all parties? Where did the breakdown in communication occur and who should be held accountable? What about fines? Are they set previously or do they vary from one show to the next depending on the promoter? Is there a timeline for having the fine paid? Can it be deducted from a competitor's winnings, in the form of a temporary I.O.U?

What is the rule about using an athlete to promote the event, but later denying her from competing in it? Would she have been fined had she not showed up for the show at all, assuming that she would be there to compete? Would she then be responsible for any losses that the promoter incurred had angry fans demanded that their tickets be refunded? Who has the final decision regarding these matters? If the IFBB assumes responsibility, then it shouldn't matter who the promoter is, and if the decision is left up to the promoter, then the IFBB shouldn't be involved in the final outcome. Or do they work together? Shouldn't we all be working together? If neither were aware that Andrulla was competing, who was invited to act as her replacement, as had been done on previous occasions when competitors who initially confirm, later withdraw? Do these rules apply equally to all competitors?

You don't have to look far to see how differently the men get treated in these situations. At last year's Mr. Olympia, not only did Kevin Levrone fail to sign a contract, he did not even register for his pro card, but was able to pay a $25,000 fine in order to compete. This situation was publicized to the entire bodybuilding community and was never passed off as a mistake on his part. Kevin was never blamed for having "screwed up"; his contract had been left unsigned intentionally. And if that wasn't enough…

At the competitor's meeting on the Friday evening prior to the 2002 Toronto Men's Pro Show, a panel of IFBB representatives asked those athletes, whose names were not on the competitor list, to come up and sign contracts before they retired to their hotel rooms. Three men went up to the desk and filled in the necessary paperwork. The officials didn't even recognize one athlete by name, let alone as a professional bodybuilder part of the next day's contest. There were a number of photographers, officials, judges, and other female pros in the room; no one raised an eyebrow.

As of this moment, why is Andrulla's profile still being viewed on the Arnold Classic website?

Final Comments
In retrospect, what seems to be lacking is proper communication, attention to detail, flexibility within the federation and between the IFBB and the athletes themselves. It is obvious that there are no set policies and/or procedures in place for these types of situations, or that they are not being applied on a consistent basis equally applicable to all competitors. There are too many questions that remain unanswered and too much middle ground left open to the discretion of those in charge. It's difficult to understand the reasons for NOT allowing Andrulla to compete, based on the goals of the IFBB and certainly the contest's promoter. In the end, whose interests were best served by this decision?

If they were thinking of the athletes, they should have let Ms. Olympia compete. By removing this particular competitor from the lineup, they had lowered the standard for the rest of the field and taken away one of the best representatives of the sport.

If they were thinking of their fans they should have let Andrulla compete. Fans that come to see shows are very loyal. Surely, a number of them left feeling disappointed to see that Ms. Olympia was not on stage. Restitutions could have been made after the show, allowing her to perform for a paying audience that deserved to see her on stage.

If they were thinking of their image, they should have let their athlete compete. Reinforcing the perception of the IFBB as an organization that does not support its' female competitors and their fans is not one that reflects positively on the sport.

Finally, if they were thinking of the money, they should have let her compete. She could have been fined the $5,000 and not been reimbursed later for her travel expenses. That decision alone would have covered the class winner's prize money.

Female bodybuilders forming a union, what were they thinking?