By Cheryl Long
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T
here aren’t many 12-year olds who
choose to spend their spare time
pumping iron, but Mathew Park
wasn’t your average preteen. And today,
he continues to live life outside of the box
as the president of a Canadian association
dedicated to drug-free bodybuilding and
fitness.
Park grew up in the small hamlet of Aca-
dia Valley in southern Alberta, where the
nearest fully functional training facility was
located 90 minutes away. Unable to find a
nearby facility but determined to one day
participate in a bodybuilding competition,
he spent hours exercising in a workout
shed built by his uncle. His dream was re-
alized a few years later at the age of 17
when he entered his first competition, but
the experience turned out to be an eye-
opener. There was no drug testing and no
doubt that some of the participants had
used performance-enhancing substances
— and Park came in last. Over the next
few years, he signed up for shows that ad-
vertised drug testing for participants, but it
was evident that the claim was purely for
marketing purposes.
Armed with an education in personal train-
ing andmotivated by a passion to see body-
building and fitness become a drug-free
sport, Park launched International Natural
Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation (INBF)
in Canada in 2008. His aim: to organize and
hold bodybuilding and fitness shows that
would even the playing field for athletes
who didn’t believe in using banned sub-
stances to achieve their goals. That same
year, after two years of concerted effort
and planning, the first INBF Canada show
was held in Edmonton where 19 athletes
competed in front of an audience of 200. It
was both the realization of Park’s goal and
JANUARY 2016
H
business elite canada
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