General Rules

Rule 1:    The following countries have a regional requirement:

Australia, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Hungary, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom

Rule 1A:  Athletes who reside in Canada must follow CPA drug testing guidelines.

Rule 2:    Athletes who reside (live) in a country that has a regional requirement must compete in a natural regional in their country of residence before they can compete in a natural pro qualifier anywhere in the world.

Rule 3:    Athletes may not qualify for a natural pro qualifier by competing in an open regional.

Rule 4:    Athletes may not qualify for an open pro qualifier by competing in a natural regional.

Rule 5:    Notwithstanding Rule 2, if a country has a regional requirement but does not hold a natural regional before a scheduled natural pro qualifier anywhere in the world, athletes may compete in a natural pro qualifier only if the natural pro qualifier is held before the first natural regional in the athlete’s country of residence. When the first natural regional is held in the athlete’s country of residence, athletes residing in that country may not compete in any other natural pro qualifier without first meeting the regional requirement.

Rule 6:    Athletes who reside in countries that do not have a regional requirement may compete in any natural pro qualifier anywhere in the world.

Technical Rules

Rule 7:    Testing will include anabolic agents as well as diuretics and masking agents.

Rule 7A: Athletes using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) are not eligible to compete in natural contests.

Rule 7B: Urine samples will be collected and submitted to the laboratory using a single, securely-sealed, donor-identified collection vessel.

Rule 8:    The following minimum number of tests will be conducted:

• natural regional: overall winner in each open division
• natural pro qualifier: top 2 in each open division overall

If a division has less than five competitors, the winner will be tested.

Rule 9:    At a natural regional, the head judge has authority to test the second-place competitor in an open division overall.

Rule 10:  As the testing authority, the contest organizer may conduct more than the required minimum number of tests provided:

• The total number of tests to be conducted in each division is clearly indicated on the competitor entry form, and
• NPC Worldwide is given prior notice of the number of tests in each division that exceed the required minimum.

Rule 11:  The testing agency must be pre-approved by NPC Worldwide.

Rule 12:  All individuals involved in maintaining the chain of custody, to include collection, documentation, and transportation of samples to the testing agency, must be completely independent from the contest organizer.

Rule 13:  Polygraph testing may be used only if there is no licensed laboratory in the country in which the contest is being held. Polygraph testing requires NPC Worldwide’s prior approval.

Rule 14: Test results are considered confidential. The contest organizer must provide NPC Worldwide with a copy of the test results no later than three weeks after the contest.

Rule 15:  NPC Worldwide is responsible for results management.

Penalties

Rule 16:  The penalties for a positive test result are as follows:

• First offence: one-year suspension
• Second offence: two-year suspension
• Third offence: lifetime suspension

The suspension is from all NPC and NPC Worldwide contests.

Rule 16A: Evading sample collection, refusing or failing to submit to sample collection, or tampering or attempted tampering with any part of sample collection is prohibited. The penalties are as follows:

• First offence:              two-year suspension
• Second offence:         lifetime suspension

Rule 17:  Positive test results will be recorded as follows:

• If a regional, the competitor will be marked “DQ”. The second-place competitor will not be awarded first place unless this competitor was tested and returned a negative test result.
• If a pro qualifier, the competitor will be marked “DQ”. The second-place competitor will be awarded first place provided this competitor’s test result is negative.

Pro Card Rules

Rule 18:  Athletes who earn an IFBB PRO card at a natural pro qualifier may not compete in an IFBB PRO contest until the test results are received by the testing authority and reported to NPC Worldwide.