In 2008, Mr. Jim Manion, President of the NPC and IFBB Professional League, granted Nick Scott the opportunity to establish IFBB Professional League Wheelchair Bodybuilding competitions. It was not until 2011 that everything was officially in place.
In May 2011, the IFBB Pro Card for Amateur Wheelchair Athletes was approved. All past Overall Winners of the NPC Wheelchair Nationals from 1994 through 2011 were awarded IFBB Professional League status and granted their IFBB Pro Card. Ludovic Marchand, the Overall Champion at the inaugural 1994 NPC Wheelchair Nationals, became the first athlete to receive this recognition.
At the same time, it was approved that the Overall Winners of both the NPC Wheelchair Nationals and the NPC USA Wheelchair Championships would earn their IFBB Pro Card.
The 2011 NPC USA Wheelchair Championships, held on June 25, 2011, in Metairie, Louisiana, USA, became the first competition in history where a Wheelchair Athlete could officially earn an IFBB Pro Card through competition. Harold Kelley won the Overall title, making him the first Wheelchair Bodybuilder to earn an IFBB Pro Card by winning an official IFBB Pro Qualifier.
From 2011 through 2019, IFBB Pro Qualifiers for Wheelchair Bodybuilding were limited to athletes from the United States.
The first international IFBB Pro Qualifier for Wheelchair Athletes took place on May 31, 2019, at the Toronto Pro Qualifier. This marked the first time that amateur Wheelchair Athletes from outside the United States could compete in an official international IFBB Pro Qualifier and earn their IFBB Pro Card.
Ephraim Gudgeon won the Overall title at the 2019 Toronto Pro Qualifier, becoming the first international Wheelchair Athlete to earn an IFBB Pro Card through an official international IFBB Pro Qualifier competition.
Prior to 2019, Nick Scott, the Official Representative of the Wheelchair Division for the NPC and IFBB Professional League, would submit petitions on behalf of qualified international amateur Wheelchair Athletes to the IFBB Professional League for review.
Following a review of each athlete’s competitive history, physique, and overall qualifications, the IFBB Professional League would either approve or deny the petition. During this period, IFBB Professional League Wheelchair Bodybuilding was still in its early stages of development and expanding throughout the world.
