The IFBB Pro Arnold Sports Festival, also known as the Arnold Schwarzenegger Sports Festival, is an annual

multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of intern ...

consisting of

professional bodybuilding Professional bodybuilding or pro bodybuilding can refer to bodybuilding for an income and/or possessing qualifications such as an IFBB Pro, IFBB Elite Pro or WNBF Pro League or Wabba International Pro Card. A professional bodybuilder may be on ...

(''Arnold Classic''),

strongman Strongman is a competitive strength sport which tests athletes' physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events. Strongman competitions are known for their intensity, pushing athletes to their physical and mental limit ...

('' Arnold Strongman Classic''), armlifting, fitness,

figure Figure may refer to: General *A shape, drawing, depiction, or geometric configuration *Figure (wood), wood appearance *Figure (music), distinguished from musical motif * Noise figure, in telecommunication * Dance figure, an elementary dance patt ...

bikini A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features one piece on top that covers the breasts, and a second piece on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but usually exposing the navel, and the back generally covering ...

and several others as a weekend expo. It was established in 1989 and is named after

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

. The main event is held annually around late February or early March in Columbus,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, by the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Professional League ( IFBB Pro League). It is considered the second-most-prestigious event in professional men's bodybuilding, physique, figure and bikini after Joe Weider's Olympia. When the Ms. International competition was hosted, until 2013, it was the second-most-prestigious event in professional

female bodybuilding Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. It began in the late 1970s, when women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions.

(after Ms. Olympia).

History

A lucrative sports competition, the ASF offers a number of large

prize A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

s. Most notably, first prize in bodybuilding consists of a $130,000 check, a

Hummer Hummer (stylized in all caps) is an American brand of Pickup truck, pickups launched in 1992 when AM General began selling a civilian version of the M998 Humvee. Although discontinued in 2010, Hummer returned as a model under GMC (automob ...

vehicle, and an

Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet Holding SA () is a Swiss manufacturer of luxury good, luxury watches, headquartered in Le Brassus, Switzerland. The company was founded by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet in the Vallée de Joux in 1875, acquiring ...

watch. Since the

Mr. Olympia Mr. Olympia is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men's bodybuilding contest in the open division at Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend—an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually and is sanct ...

bodybuilding title pre-dates and offers higher prize money than the ASF, a rivalry in prestige and

popularity In sociology, popularity is how much a person, idea, place, item or other concept is either liked or accorded status by other people. Liking can be due to reciprocal liking, interpersonal attraction, and similar factors. Social status can be d ...

has sprung up. The ASF is always hotly contested, often with one or two competition points separating the winners. All-star cheerleading competitions span a two-day period (usually all day Saturday, and to midday Sunday). More than 4,000 competitors entered the cheerleading event in 2014. Each team (of 15–30 cheerleaders) prepares to perform a two and one-half minute routine. After the teams' routines are complete, they are scored by a panel of judges, each judge being an expert on one area of cheerleading (jumps, tumbling, stunting, etc.). Once scoring is complete, every team entered in the competition is called to the mat for awards, during which each team has a chance of winning multiple times. The ASF's awards consist of the following: National Champion jackets, trophies for every team, custom medals, limited edition patches and Grand Champion banners, and possible partial or full paid bid to Cheerleading World contests. On June 7, 2013, the ASF's event promoter, Jim Lorimer, announced that from 2014 on, the ASF's "212" (a professional, men's bodybuilding division) would permanently replace the Ms. International women's bodybuilding competition. Lorimer, in a statement, said "The Arnold Sports Festival was proud to support women's bodybuilding through the Ms. International for the past quarter century, but in keeping with demands of our fans, the time has come to introduce the Arnold Classic 212 beginning in 2014. We are excited to create a professional competitive platform for some of the IFBB Pro League's most popular competitors." On March 3, 2020 Ohio governor

Mike DeWine Richard Michael DeWine ( ; born January 5, 1947) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 70th List of governors of Ohio, governor of Ohio since 2019. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served a ...

cancelled most of the Arnold Sports Festival due to the oncoming COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio, before any cases or deaths had been reported. The cancellation was widely regarded as 'radical' at the time.

Curiosities

* Arnold Classic Ohio is the largest multi-sport championship in the world, ahead of even the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...

. ** There are around 20,000 athletes from more than 80 countries competing in 60 sports, while the 2024 Olympic Games brought almost 11,000 athletes in 32 sports and 48 disciplines. The Arnold is second only to the number of countries: 206 at the Olympics. * The event also promotes several amateur sports for fans to learn about and practice. * The Arnold Classic Ohio is the second most prestigious event in professional bodybuilding, behind only the Mr. Olympia. * Jim Lorimer, who founded the Arnold Classic with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1989, was a special agent for the FBI. * Like Arnold, Lorimer ventured into politics, becoming mayor of Worthington, Ohio. * The biggest Arnold Classic Ohio champion is a woman, Iris Kyle (USA), with 7 titles (interestingly, she is also the biggest Mr. Olympia winner, with 11 titles). Among men, Dexter Jackson (USA) is the biggest winner with 5 titles.

Champions

Arnold Classic International

Arnold Classic branding is also used for: * ''Arnold Classic Europe'' in Spain (since 2011) * ''Arnold Classic South America'' in Brazil (since 2013) * ''Arnold Classic Australia'' in Australia (since 2015) * ''Arnold Classic Africa'' in South Africa (since 2016) * ''Arnold Classic Asia'' in Hong Kong (only 2016) * ''Arnold Classic UK'' in England (since 2021) * ''Arnold Classic Russia'' in Russia

Winners

References