By Nicole Meilak

Copyright maltatoday

Politicians tend to hail from the fields of law and economics, but the bodybuilding history of Malta’s two main political leaders has been picked up by the International Federation of Fitness and Bodybuilding.

Describing it as “unprecedented”, the IFBB posted photos on Facebook of Robert Abela and Alex Borg in their bodybuilding years.

Abela used to compete in bodybuilding competitions in the 1990s, while Borg competed in 2018.

“The IFBB Federation wishes them both the best of luck in their political careers,” the sports body said.

The only comment under the IFBB’s Facebook post at time of publication comes from Borg himself, who left two muscle-flexing emojisin the comments section.

Borg and Abela are not the only politicians across the globe with competitive bodybuilding experience. The most notable bodybuilder-turned-politician is Arnold Schwarzenegger, having won the Mr Olympia title seven times before becoming Governor of California.

Closer to home, Ritva “Kike” Elomaa is the most successful Finnish bodybuilder of all time, She then turned to politics in 2011, becoming a member of the Finnish parliament as a member of the Finns Party.

The IFBB, founded in 1946 and now representing more than 200 national federations worldwide, is the sport’s largest governing body and regularly highlights athletes past and present.