TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – A group of athletes is turning to the community for help after they were suddenly shut out of an upcoming bodybuilding competition.
Anastasia Rider is among the women who planned to compete at the Tampa Pro this summer. However, their future at the event is now in limbo after it was announced that the women’s bodybuilding division is being dropped from the show.
“Honestly, it was very disheartening,” said Rider. “Most of us have been training a long time, and we look forward to these shows every year.”
Event organizers said the IFBB Professional League Open and Masters Pro Women’s Bodybuilding division were cut from the event due to a lack of sponsorship.
The same categories have also been dropped from upcoming competitions in Chicago and New York.
Still, the athletes are refusing to give up.
The women are banding together to keep their competition alive by raising the funds that would otherwise come from event sponsors.
The athletes have started a GoFundMe in hopes of collecting enough donations to revive their category in the Tampa show, along with the competition in Chicago.
Rider, who is an IFBB Pro Bodybuilder, said she’s hopeful the community will help them save the sport they love.
“This was finally a place where we were able to find our home, to find our people, to be a part of something where we belonged and are represented the way we wanted to be,” said Rider. “To have that taken away from us is like, okay, where do we go from here?”
