Ms.I.O.Union?
By Lisa Bavington


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 Peeples are trying to start a
union.that will be their final mistake, because if that happens, we will end
Women's Bodybuilding." (

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?

References

1. Q&A Interview: Jim Lorimer, by Bill Dobbins @ www.billdobbins.com

2. Ms. International Dilemma, by Andrulla Blanchette @ www.worldofmuscle.com

3. Wayne Demilia Explains, by Wayne Demilia @ www.billdobbins.com

Please Note: I am not able to make reference to the Official IFBB Professional
Rulebook. I have contacted the IFBB, CBBF and Weider Canada requesting a copy,
and am waiting for a response.