A shocking investigation reveals the sexual exploitation of female bodybuilders in America…

The journalistic investigation conducted by the newspaper was revealed The Washington Post Shocking secrets about the sexual exploitation of women in the sport of bodybuilding in the United States of America.

The paper pointed out that officials of the two leading bodybuilding federations in the United States have been “sexually exploiting” women in this sport for decades, pressuring them to “take naked pictures” and “posting those pictures on relatively pornographic sites.” and in some cases “manipulating the results”. Competitions in favor of cooperating competitors.

According to the newspaper, for more than 15 years JM Mannion, whose father Jim has run amateur and professional bodybuilding competitions for decades, filmed and operated a network of pornographic sites – light content – which at one point advertised “more than 30,000 images” of competitors in the sport. .

A published review of the website’s archives identified more than 200 athletes in images ranging from “casual bikini photos to erotic images”, including images of women “naked together in beds and bathtubs”.

On one of Manion’s websites, the headline read “Your Favorite Fitness Athletes… Naked.”

Jane Gates, who won a prize at the prestigious Olympia competition in 2008, says her manager Mannion asked her to “take off her bikini top and bottom for a photo shoot”, but she refused.

She was recently surprised to learn from a Washington Post reporter that photos of her in swimsuits appeared alongside topless competition on one of Manion’s porn sites.

She said: “I never agreed to put my pictures on soft pornography.” Less than three years after winning the Olympics, Gates left the sport in “disgust” and warned young women against such competitions.

Interviews with dozens of competitors, referees, officials and others connected to the sport reveal the “systematic exploitation” of women in sports who are often vulnerable due to extreme diets and training, lack of financial stability and desire to win.

According to the newspaper, some women believe their qualification depends on their willingness to “photograph sexually” or “please” the sport’s senior judges, promoters and managers, almost all of whom are men.

Rob Rossetti, a senior trainer who sometimes attended photo shoots for JM porn sites, said the women “agreeed” to it.

“In the very few photo sessions I have been asked to attend, I have not seen a single female athlete being coerced, pressured or forced to appear naked by JM or any other person assisting in the photo shoot,” he told the paper. .

The newspaper quoted Mandy Henderson, a former deputy sheriff in Santa Clara County, California, who detailed how the women were “pressured.”

She said she agreed to the “naked” photo shoot with the expectation of receiving a professional card, which allows athletes to move from amateur competition to the professional league.

And the Pro card can mean more money, sponsorships and the chance to compete in the main competitions: Arnold Classic and Olympia.

In the amateur competition in 2009, Henderson finished fourth and I was surprised that it took so long for her to get her professional card. When she asked why, she said the senior arbitrator told her, “Because you didn’t come to my room last night.”

Another athlete, who was at a photo shoot with Rossetti, described a “humiliating” experience in which Mannion told her to “take off her clothes and go into the bathroom with two naked women to take pictures” – although she had previously told Rossetti that she doesn’t want to be naked, said the woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. – I cannot describe to you how terrible that experience was.

The leading amateur and professional federations are run by Jim Mannion, JM’s father, a 78-year-old former bodybuilder, from his office in Pittsburgh.

Jim Mannion chairs the National Amateur Fitness Committee (NPC) and the International Federation of Professional Bodybuilding and Fitness Leagues, otherwise known as the IFBB Pro League.

In response to The Washington Post’s detailed inquiry to Jim Mannion, the two organizations issued a statement through Hammond Strategies, a crisis communications firm, but did not directly respond to any questions.

“As part of our efforts to grow the sport, we have expanded events and opportunities for all competitors, increased prize money for women in the sport and improved communication for our players to allow them to discuss any concerns they may have about the event or their experience “, the press release states.

He added: “We are addressing our concerns raised with utmost care, attention and in a timely manner.”

The press release states that more than half of the registered contestants are women, and that many shows have exclusively female juries.

The newspaper said that JM also “fixed” the results of the matches in favor of certain contestants.

The newspaper shared the stories of several contestants, most of whom agreed that they were asked to “naked” and sometimes to provide “sexual favors” to important people or sports judges.