International Federation of Competitive Eating
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| Category | Competitive eating |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Global |
| Abbreviation | MLE |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York |
| President | Richard Shea |
| Official website | |
| majorleagueeating |
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Major League Eating (MLE) is an organization that sanctions professional competitive eating events and television specials. The stated mission of Major League Eating is to maintain a safe environment for all events, to create a dynamic and enjoyable fan experience, and to help sponsors develop, publicize and execute eating events in a wide variety of food disciplines. The league airs its annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest on ESPN.
Brothers George and Richard Shea took over Nathan's publicity in the mid-1990s and were able to increase the exposure and attendance of Nathan's hot dog eating contest. Seeing a business opportunity, the brothers founded International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE) in 1997 to oversee/regulate/organize events/TV deals. IFOCE later changed its name to "Major League Eating" (MLE). The Shea brothers still represent Nathan's.
Major League Eating coordinates events in the United States and Canada.
MLE was founded as the International Federation of Competitive Eating, Inc. (IFOCE), an organization that supervises and regulates eating contests across the globe, acting as a central resource for the sport. Top events include the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, La Costena "Feel the Heat" Jalapeño Eating Challenge, and the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship and the National Buffalo Wing Festival. The IFOCE was founded in 1997 by brothers George and Richard Shea.
The IFOCE counts thousands of competitors in its league, including top-ranked eaters such as Joey Chestnut of California, "Megatoad" Matt Stonie of California, Sonya Thomas of Virginia, and "Notorious B.O.B." Bob Shoudt of Philadelphia. The IFOCE currently is in a dispute with Takeru Kobayashi of Japan over whether competitors may also participate in contests not sanctioned by the IFOCE. The IFOCE develops, promotes and runs more than one hundred events in all variety of venues during its annual circuit.
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