"We will not add any more categories," Manion says after Men's Wellness scandal

Originally it was supposed to be just another regional competition, which is held every week all over the world. But in the end, this year's Brazilian Roraima Classic has sparked controversy across the bodybuilding world. And all it took was one extra category. The organizers came up with a men's wellness category, and it's no exaggeration to say that for inexperienced bodybuilding fans it could have been slightly confusing at first glance whether it was a men's or women's category.

The male athletes performed with the bottom part of their swimsuits cut after the model of women's competition swimsuits, but of course they did not have the top part of the women's outfit - we have already reported about this in a separate news from the competitions. As expected, the contest provoked huge reactions across the bodybuilding world, some thinking it was a travesty, others shaking their heads in disbelief at how far bodybuilding has come since the days of Arnold or Ronnie Coleman.

Mixed reactions were of course particularly on the head of Sano Moraes, the first rider to start in this division. Some professionals also commented on it, saying that this category is a slap in the face to women, but surprisingly there were also supporters - for example, popular wellness competitor Angela Borges would accept such a category without reservations.

Despite the controversy, as a regional competition, the Roraima Classic ultimately avoided any penalties from the NPC and IFBB Pro League federations. However, it certainly did not escape attention. It was even a topic so hot that Tyler Manion, the vice president of the entire organization, weighed in on it in a recent Instagram post.

"If you don't see an official announcement on one of our official sites, then obviously this is not an official announcement regarding our organizations. The NPC, NPC WW and IFBB PRO League will not be adding any divisions and we are very happy with what we currently offer."

It read in a text that Manion posted on his Instagram.

And so while some athletes clearly condemned the category, others saw it merely as an effort by the organiser to raise the profile of their competition. However, some people have started to really fight for other categories to be given the opportunity to showcase themselves on the billboard. For example, the aforementioned Angela Borges, who quite possibly aspires to be the favourite at this year's Olympia, has launched a rather extensive campaign. In it, she argues, for example, that every athlete aspires, after all, to look in the mirror and feel good, which they then share on stage. She also pointed out that the women's wellness category, which was not very popular at first, has been going through the same situation and has ended up being relatively successful.

Would you be in favour of introducing this division? Or do you think it has no place among bodybuilders? Let us know in the comments!