On February 5, 2024, Vice President Tyler Manion announced a substantial increase in prize money for the Men’s Open division of the IFBB Pro League. This decision followed the league’s acceptance of a new corporate sponsorship with Uprising powered by MIT45.
According to Manion, the boost in prize money totals $210,000 across 21 contests. As a result, the minimum prize money for each Men’s Open show has been raised by $10,000. This change is expected to have a significant impact on the bodybuilding season.
Specifically, first-place recipients will now receive a minimum of $15,000, a notable increase from the previous $10,000. Similarly, second place will see a rise from $4,000 to $9,000. These adjustments are likely to draw more competitors to participate in the Men’s Open division events.
IFBB Pro League Increases Prize Money for Men’s Open Division
Tyler Manion, Vice President of the IFBB Pro League, announced a significant boost in prize money for the Men’s Open category:
“We would love to welcome Uprising powered by MIT45 as our new corporate sponsor of the IFBB Pro Open Men’s Bodybuilding division. Now, what makes this even more exciting, is that because of this sponsorship, the minimum prize money for every Men’s Open show is going to be raised $10,000.”
“Of course, we have some shows that give away more than the minimum prize money but this is going to affect 21 Men’s Open Bodybuilding shows, which means $210,000 is going to be injected into the prize money for the Open Men thanks to Uprising powered by MIT45.
So first place will move from $10,000 to $15,000 and second place will move from $4,000 to $9,000 at all these shows. So this is extremely exciting for the IFBB Pro League,” Tyler Manion shared.
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Veteran bodybuilders, including Lee Priest, criticized athletes for not participating enough in shows. Priest suggested that the IFBB Pro League should require athletes to compete in more than one event annually.
Bob Cicherillo, a commentator for bodybuilding contests like the Arnold Classic and Mr. Olympia, called for increasing Men’s Open prize money. Since it hadn’t changed for 15 years, Cicherillo proposed boosting the winner’s take-home to $20,000.
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The Arnold Classic awards $300,000 to the Open winner, while the Mr. Olympia champion receives a total of $400,000. With this new incentive, we’ll see if Open competitors start competing more frequently at lower-tiered shows.
Overview
The IFBB Pro League announced a significant increase in prize money for the Men’s Open division on February 5, 2024. This decision followed a partnership with Uprising powered by MIT45, resulting in a $210,000 boost across 21 events. First-place winners will now receive a minimum of $15,000, while second-place prizes rise to $9,000. The increase aims to attract more competitors and invigorate the division.
Featured Image @IFBB Pro Leage, @samson_dauda,@ifbb_pro_league (Instagram)
