The examples of how well women's sports are thriving are countless, thanks in part to increasing television coverage and the influence of Title IX, passed by Congress in 1972, which stated:
"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

The Olympics have also been strong supporters of women's athletics. From the Olympic charter:

"Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or person on the grounds of race, religion, politics, GENDER or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement"

Evidently, IFBB President Ben Weider, who has worked for so long to have bodybuilding become an Olympic sport, has now given up on that goal, since the ongoing discrimination against women bodybuilders by the federation would disqualify it from Olympic participation.

Actually, although there has been resistance to female developing their muscles for aesthetic purposes since the earliest days of modern bodybuilding for women, it has been Ben Weider's Olympic ambitions which have probably been the single most influential factor in creating the problems women bodybuilders now face in the IFBB.

Ben Weider became convinced that the existence of pro female bodybuilders - evidently more than the problem of no steroid testing at the pro level of the sport - was causing the IOC to resist including bodybuilding as an Olympic sport.

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