2009 New Zealand IFBB Pro Show Canceled

Link:http://www.ifbbpro.com/events/2009-calendar-of-events/

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January 9, 2009

We posted about it earlier, and it’s now official - the 2009 IFBB New Zealand South Pacific Show is cancelled something many of us assumed was well on the way. Although this website’s email to the promoter has not been returned, we’ve confirmed the cancellation with other sources and the IFBB site has confirmed it in a roundabout method by posting “the 2009 New Zealand show may be rescheduled to another date”.

This website generally tries to be positive and promote Southern Hemisphere physique contests and competitors, but we really do have to say in our opinion the ball was dropped here. There was actually no word of any cancellation, our efforts to obtain information earlier were not assisted, and note we were the first website to publically post that the show was cancelled two days ago so hence brought it to public attention. Realistically, if the logistics weren’t working - a release announcing the cancellation would have been in order, instead of just leaving it up to potential competitors and fans to “casually notice” the show was removed from the IFBB calendar on site.

At the risk of sounding wholly negative, this also doesn’t bode well for a show to be held later this year.

The distance alone of Australia and New Zealand makes it somewhat cost prohibitive for many competitors and adds a unique difficulty that North American promoters don’t have to factor in. The success of last years New Zealand Pro show was largely in part to the timing ‘piggybacking’ on the Australian Pro Show, so the competitors could easily do both shows. Also, now with a history of a rather late cancellation, people may be skeptical to make certain plans to compete. All these factors and more - we think it is very unlikely to see a NZ pro bodybuilding and figure show coming to fruition in 2009.

The show was scheduled to be held in March in Auckland, and appears to have been cancelled with about 60 days notice.

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2009 IFBB New Zealand Pro: Rescheduled to July or After Olympia?

January 18, 2009

One of New Zealand’s leading websites GoFigure is reporting that Moe El Moussawi has said that the 2009 New Zealand IFBB Pro Show may be rescheduled for July or after the Olympia, and the reason for the cancellation was due to logistics of getting the pros in after the 2009 Australian Grand Prix, something we had speculated on earlier.

From the site: “Moe said the show will more than likely be held in July or after the Olympia as the logistics of getting the Pros here after the Melbourne Grand Prix was too complicated.”

July, logistically, doesn’t seem to be an optimal date due to the availability of shows in North America during the few weeks preceeding and following July, with six shows on offer with around $140,000 [US] prize money on offer. To attract pros to make an expensive and time consuming journey to compete in New Zealand when there are options closer by, make be difficult in our opinion.

After the Olympia there are already two additional IFBB pro shows scheduled to be held; Germany [$100,000 US prize] and Dubai [$46,000 US prize] already - so again this may prove difficult, unless timing is done as such that the show can be piggybacked on the Dubai show, as to decrease travel costs for many. With both shows expected to attract very high level bodybuilders, unless prize money is very attractive for a NZ show they may also not con

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