Feature: Mister Olympia

Mister Olympia is one of the most popular international bodybuilding competitions. It’s held every year by the IFBB or International Federation of Bodybuilders. Winning this competition is considered the highest achievement in professional bodybuilding. Joe Weider was the man behind the competition. In the first few years, this competition allowed winners of the Mr. Universe tournament to compete and earn money. The first edition of the competition was held on 18th September, 1965.

History of Mister Olympia

Until 1965, it was quite hard for bodybuilders to maintain skills in the sport. The winners of the Mr. Universe, Mr. World and Mr. America contests used to make claims about their superiority. However, the arguments never led to any conclusions. One day, Joe Weider and Larry Scott were eating at a popular restaurant, and Larry explained how he had won the Mr. Universe and Mr. America titles, and there was nothing left for him to achieve.

Joe spent some time reviewing existing bodybuilding competitions and felt that none of the competitions were what he imagined the future of the sport to be. So, he decided to create this ultimate competition - Mister Olympia. The first edition of the competition was launched in 1965. The first Mister Olympia competition was won by Larry Scott. He even won the competition the following year.

The first edition of the competition took place at the famous Brooklyn Music Academy (Brooklyn Academy of Music).

When Larry Scott ventured outside after the show, the crowd went completely crazy. The third edition of Mr. Olympia introduced a new age in the world of bodybuilding. Sergio Oliva was the winner of the following three competitions.

In 1970, Arnold Schwarzenegger dethroned Sergio Oliva. The year before, he was the first runner up. In 1976, a small bodybuilder named Franco Columbo won the competition. This was the first time a bodybuilder of his size had won the competition. Frank Zane dominated Mister Olympia for the next three years.

The Mr. Olympia competition is considered the most coveted in bodybuilding. Over the years, a lot of champions have come and gone in the sport. However, winning Mr. Olympia is still regarded the ultimate honor in professional bodybuilding. Lee haney et Ronnie Coleman have the record for the number of wins, eight.

It is worth mentioning that the competition is completely professional. If you want to participate in Mr. Olympia, you must have exceptional results in high level competitions, such as Mr. Univers and Mr. World. In the event that you have been unable to confirm that you are a reputed bodybuilder in these competitions, you may not participate in Mr. Olympia. For this reason, you will only find the most popular and recognized athletes in this competition.

In 2005, Mr. Olympia competition was held in the month of October. It was hosted in Las Vegas at the Orleans arena of the Orleans Hotel. Some other events were also held at the popular Las Vegas Convention Center. At the beginning, a press conference was organized. It allowed to meet the different competitors of the four events.

During the press conference, spectators were also allowed to ask questions of their favorite fitness competitors or bodybuilders. The competition ended with an Olympia seminar. It was organized on Sunday after the main show. During the seminar, bodybuilders discussed their experiences and their feelings about the show.

Sydney's controversial show

In 1980, there was a major controversy regarding the competition. This edition of the event was organized in Sydney, Australia. The conflict was about the participation of Arnold Schwarzenegger. He had already announced retirement from the competition in 1975. It’s worth mentioning that he had won 6 consecutive Mr. Olympia titles.

Arnold was doing commentary on the eve of the competition. He shocked the entire bodybuilding world by proclaiming that he would be participating once again in pursuit of a seventh Mr. Olympia title.

A lot of participants considered this edition a major disaster. A lot of judges had business and professional ties to Arnold Schwarzenegger. The event was promoted by Paul Graham, who was a good friend to Arnold. When Arnold was on stage, it was clear that Schwarzenegger had worked hard to build upper body, but couldn’t work on his legs. According to most bodybuilding experts, he shouldn’t have won this edition.

In 2003, Schwarzenegger was the Governor elect. He showed his love for bodybuilding, and popped without any warning at the Mr. Olympia contest to witness the spectacle. The crowd went crazy, and cheered him throughout the competition. He told the 6000 spectators that he felt home again. Arnold still believes that wouldn’t have been able to achieve tremendous success without bodybuilding.

Is the contest rigged?

When you are dealing with a sport as subjective as bodybuilding, there will always be speculation that the competition is rigged, especially when there is an unpopular result. It is worth mentioning that 13 judges must work together to announce the result. It is therefore very unlikely that the competition will be rigged.

However, it is important to understand that, over 40 years, only 10 winners have been announced. Once a person wins the competition, they continue to win it for several consecutive years. Perhaps the main reason is that bodybuilding is trending and fashionable. Everyone is trying to emulate the winner and change their workouts and diets accordingly. Currently, Phil Heath's physique is considered ideal. So, as long as he continues to participate, it is very unlikely that he will lose it.

Mr. Olympia's trophy

In the world of bodybuilding, something amazing occurred on 14th September, 1901. Eugen Sandow, who was a popular Anglo German physical culture entrepreneur staged the first ultimate physique competition of the world. At the time, it was called the Great Competition. Instantly, the competition was a major hit, and Mister Olympia was born.

From a pool of 60 applicants, three winners were carefully selected. Each of these lucky winners was presented with an exceptional prize.

The beautifully carved trophy looked like Mr. Sandow himself.

At the 1980 edition of Mr. Olympia, the new trophy was introduced. Since then, it has remained a big symbol of bodybuilding. It’s considered the most coveted prize. Once again, if you want to participate in the competition, you need to build a strong profile in other popular competitions, including Mr. Universe, Mr. World and Mr. America.

The Mister Olympia competition is so popular that there are now several categories.

• Mr. Olympia
• Fitness olympia
• Olympia figure
• Olympia bikini
• Women's physique
• Men's physique
• 212 Showdown

The winners of the Mister Olympia trophy