The T&T Bodybuilders Federation (TTBBF) is in the early stages of planning a world championship event featuring 150-400 athletes from around the world within the next few years.
This was revealed by longstanding Federation president Susanna Haddad during an interview with the Sunday Guardian. According to Haddad, proposals are set to go out to both the government and corporate T&T, highlighting the benefits of staging such a major fixture.
"This can be something really big which will create several opportunities in tourism for all the restaurants, the airlines, the hotels and so on," she said.
"We are looking forward to seeing what kind of response we get."
Haddad said the time was right to further expand the sport, which had been enjoying a recent rise in popularity with the addition of physique and bikini categories.
"Bodybuilding in T&T has gone back up to where it was in the 1980s and 1990s. I think it's because we have more divisions now which are more attainable to more people. It's not just the massive over-muscled athletes any more. Because of this it has encouraged more people to try the sport and they realize they like how they look and the feeling that goes along with it."
In order to reach its goals, however, the federation will need more financial support.
"The major challenge right now is funding. We are getting some support from the ministries but we could always use more. We would like to provide more opportunities for the athletes to compete outside. For now, we will try to use what we have for the time being."
Looking back on her 13-year tenure in charge, which has included three successful re-election campaigns, Haddad said she was satisfied in having attracted more females and young people to compete.
"The myth about young people not being able to lift weights because it stunts their growth is in decline," she said.
"We have introduced new categories, raised standards, attracted new sponsors and increased the level of participation. We are a growing family."