Arnold Sports Festival Grows Bigger Better In 2016

Arnold Sports Festival Grows Bigger, Better In 2016

185,000 expected to see 18,000 athletes from 80 nations compete in 55 sports and events

COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Arnold Sports Festival, the largest multi-sport event in the nation, will grow to a record 55 sports and events when the annual celebration of health and fitness is held in Columbus for the 28th consecutive year.

The 2016 Arnold Sports Festival will be March 3-6, 2016 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, Ohio Expo Center and several other venues in Central Ohio. New events this year include IFBB Arnold Pro Wheelchair bodybuilding, Indoor Triathlon and Baton Twirling.

All professional and amateur bodybuilding contests will be at the convention center while several competitions and the Arnold SportsWorld Kids & Teens EXPO will be at the Ohio Expo Center.
The 28th Annual Arnold Classic, Arnold Classic 212, Arnold Classic Physique, Fitness International, Figure International, Bikini International, Physique International and Arnold Wheelchair professional bodybuilding contests will be at the Battelle Grand. Prejudging for some events will be presented on the Arnold Fitness EXPO stage.

The Arnold Amateur IFBB/NPC Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure, Bikini & Physique Championships will also be at Battelle Grand and the Arnold Fitness EXPO stage. Women’s events will be on Thursday, March 3 and men’s events on Friday, March 4, with finals in bodybuilding, fitness, figure and bikini scheduled for Saturday, March 5 on the Arnold Fitness EXPO stage.

Sports and events to be held at the Ohio Expo Center include Archery, Cheerleading & Dance, CrossFit Endeavor, Equestrian, Table Tennis and XPC Powerlifting / POWER X.

The new Arnold SportsWorld Kids & Teens EXPO will fill the Ohio Expo Center’s Bricker Building with clinics and demonstrations in baseball, chess, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics, hockey and soccer, among others. Nonstop stage entertainment will include The Arnold Quest For Talent! talent show and the first Miss Arnold Teen Fitness Pageant. The Arnold SportsWorld is open from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 5 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday, March 6.
Gov. 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 Arnold Sports Festival is now a four-day festival featuring 55 sports and events.

The 2016 Arnold Fitness EXPO, the heart of the Arnold Sports Festival, will be held March 4-6 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, and feature more than 900 booths of the latest in sports equipment, apparel and nutrition and a stage that hosts unique, non-stop competitions and entertainment.

The daily EXPO ticket includes admission to the Arnold Fitness EXPO, most events at the convention center, Arnold SportsWorld and all events at the Ohio Expo Center for $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Children 14 and under are FREE. Parking at the Ohio Expo Center will be $7. FREE shuttles will run from the Ohio Expo Center to the convention center on Friday, March 4-Sunday, March 6.

“A daily EXPO ticket affords a great entertainment value and allows our attendees to experience a great variety of sports and events,” co-promoter Jim Lorimer said. “We are very proud to provide the opportunity for athletes, a majority of them youth, to compete at the largest multi-sport festival in the U.S.”

Arnold Sunday Showcase Featuring Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, 11am Sunday, March 6, Hilton Columbus Downtown $25. VIP Ticket Packages and individual event tickets are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com/arnold or 800-745-3000. Daily EXPO tickets are available for $15 in advance or $20 at the door of all Arnold Sports Festival venues. Children 14 and under free.