Arnold Sports Festival 2021 Postponed
Print
The 2021 Arnold Sports Festival taking place in Columbus, Ohio has officially been postponed, likely due to the continued efforts to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, from its traditional March date to a date later in the year that has yet to be determined. The ASF team had posted on its website that,
"THE 2021 ARNOLD SPORTSFESTIVAL USA HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO LATER IN 2021. MORE INFO COMING SOON."
Originally set for March 4-7, 2021, the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio is, outside of the Olympics, the largest multi-sport event in North America, if not the world. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Lorimer have co-produced the Arnold Sports Festival since 1989, when it debuted as a one-day bodybuilding competition known as the Arnold Classic. The Arnolds, as it’s known to many fitness enthusiasts today, has grown into a four-day extravaganza that adds fans, events and exhibitors every year. The sports and events feature 14 Olympic sports, eight IFBB Pro League contests, the Arnold Strongman Classic and the world famous Arnold Amateur Championships. It attracts more than 22,000 athletes from 80 nations, competing in 80+ events, including the 14 Olympic sports mentioned, and almost 185,000 fitness enthusiasts each year. The Arnold Fitness Expo, with more than 1000 booths, features the biggest names in health and fitness presenting the latest trends in sports apparel, supplements and equipment. Celebrity sightings of athletes from the IFBB, the WWE, the NFL and Major League Baseball as well as film stars and the weekend’s namesake, Arnold Schwarzenegger, are part of the fun.
Earlier this year we witnessed the canceling of the expo at the Arnold Sports Festival. The state of Ohio had swiftly implemented guidelines as COVID-19 was gaining traction in the United States. The Governor Of Ohio, Mike DeWine, and Arnold’s office announced that the expo portion of the event was canceled and many of the competitive events were to be held without fans.
Arnold Schwarzenegger made it very clear at that time back in March:
“… we have the biggest health and fitness festival in the world. But we will never choose making money over people’s health.”
Arnold, Jim Lorimer and their team will not compromise the health of the attendees and athletes. Hence, the postponement of the 2021 Arnold Sports Festival.