The Expansion of the Arnold Classic

The name Arnold Schwarzenegger is synonymous with other words such as “celebrity,” “newsmaker,” and “household name.” Arnold doesn’t do anything on a small scale. His bodybuilding career was legendary. His acting career is illustrious and renowned. His gubernatorial campaign was … notable. In China, he actually has his own nickname. He’s not just “Arnold,” he’s got his own symbol. His last name is famous anywhere you go.

With all that said, he came from very humble beginnings. We all know Arnold’s story from Pumping Iron about growing up in Austria and then coming to America, but what a lot of people don’t know is how the actual competition that bears his name came to be. If you understand his drive and ambition, and how he puts 100 percent into every undertaking, it will be no surprise to learn that when Arnold teamed up with former Ohio Mayor Jim Lorimer to promote the inaugural Arnold Classic (now the Arnold Sports Festival) in 1989, it was only the start of great things to come. Their plan to promote a show began as a simple request in 1970 for Arnold to compete in Jim’s Mr. World contest in Ohio. Jim actually paid for Arnold to fly from London, England (where he had just won the 1970 Mr. Universe competition), to Columbus, Ohio, specifically to compete at his show! Arnold won the contest, beating out Sergio Oliva, but more importantly, the friendship and business relationship between the two men was born. However, it wasn’t until Arnold retired from competing in 1975 that their plans really started to take off. Arnold decided that he would give back to the bodybuilding community by sponsoring a professional competition after he retired; famous last words…

It took years to get it off the ground, but in 1989, Rich Gaspari and Tonya Knight proudly held their trophies and titles as the first-ever winners of the Arnold Classic/Ms. International. The AC started out as a modest, professional bodybuilding contest with only men’s and women’s bodybuilding. In 1995, it introduced the Fitness World division, then Fitness in 1997, and in 2003, Jenny Lynn was crowned the first Ms. Figure International winner. The Men’s Physique, Women’s Physique, and Bikini divisions were brought in later, and the Arnold Sports Festival grew from two categories and a couple dozen athletes in 1989 to over 18,000 athletes participating in 50 different sports over the course of four days in 2015. Typical of Arnold though, just being in Columbus, Ohio, wasn’t enough. 18,000 athletes clearly weren’t enough. The whole competition just wasn’t “Arnold” enough.

Arnold and Jim dreamed of having an Arnold Classic event on every continent. They wanted to expand their crusade and, more importantly, their commitment to the sport of bodybuilding worldwide. They wanted their ideology of health and fitness to permeate throughout different countries and continents. The Arnold Classic first expanded in 2011 with the creation of Arnold Classic Europe, held each year in Madrid, Spain. In 2011, the ACE had 18 male bodybuilders and 8 fitness competitors. In 2015, the ACE boasted 26 male IFBB pros and 10 female IFBB fitness pros. The Arnold Classic Brasil debuted in Rio de Janeiro in 2013. This competition wasn’t meant to be a stand-alone event, however; what Arnold and Jim did was find the biggest health and fitness expo, and ask them if they could join their already-established event. So they did, and the AC Brasil was born. Most recently, the first Arnold Classic Australia was held in Melbourne in March 2015. This May, the Arnold Classic South Africa (which will also include a huge expo) will take place in Johannesburg.

The newest kid to the block was announced in November 2015: The Arnold Classic Asia. This prestigious event will materialize in Hong Kong and include the Arnold Classic Asia men’s professional bodybuilding contest, an amateur bodybuilding contest, a large health and fitness EXPO, and selected amateur sports competitions and demonstrations.

“The Arnold Sports Festival is proud to continue its world-wide growth with the presentation of Arnold Classic Asia in Hong Kong in 2016,” said Jim Lorimer, who co-founded the Arnold Classic with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in Columbus, Ohio USA in 1989. “The addition of Arnold Classic Asia will put the Arnold Classic on six continents in 2016 and will be the latest step in Arnold’s world-wide fitness crusade.”
– Press release from Arnold Classic committee, November 2015

The Arnold Classic Asia is a partnership between Tony Doherty, the promoter of the Australian Grand Prix and Arnold Classic Australia, and Richard Petty, a Hong Kong businessman. This project has been in the works for years, even before the first year of the Arnold Australia, but it took some time and effort to bring it to fruition. According to Tony Doherty, this event is the jewel in the crown for the Arnold Classic series. Several countries across Asia put in bids for the event (South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan), but Hong Kong was the most practical in terms of visas, transportation, and the geography in general—“It’s the New York of Asia!” according to MUSCLE INSIDER publisher Scott Welch.

Interview with Bob Lorimer, President of Arnold Classic productions:

MI: This year, you’ll have a record 55 events in Ohio; the newest additions are pro wheelchair bodybuilding, indoor triathlon, a beauty pageant, and baton twirling. What other sports do you think you’ll add in the future?

BL: We don’t go after sports ourselves; we have people who are excellent at promoting their sports come to us. They want to showcase what they do. So as long as they can show something impressive they’ve done in the community or record-wise, we’ll include them in our weekend. Using the Arnold platform usually helps them build their sport, as well. This is the first year of the beauty pageant, which is in our KidsFest; the Kids Expo is really booming. We had 30 sports in it last year, and we’re up to about 40 for 2016. So the kids’ area is definitely growing in terms of adding sports.

We’re pretty much filling four days now! The only thing we haven’t done is make the expo longer, but the sports themselves are filling four days just to get through all the contestants.

MI: Did you expect the Arnold Australia to be as popular as it was in its first year?

BL: Well yes, because we have a great promoter. In each one of these locations, we have a great partner that’s excellent at promotion. Tony is so familiar with our industry, and had a great start with his expo down there; but what really took off is the sports aspect there. Last year and this year we have the same weekend as a Formula One race. So if we get access to their convention centre (where the races are held), then the event will just blow up because we’ll get an aquatic centre, and 10 other Olympic event venues. That will also bring in 10,000 kids to the event.

MI: As of the Arnold Asia, you’ll officially have reached your goal of being on every inhabited continent. What’s next? Where do you go from here?

BL: We just continue to try and grow each one of them. It’ll be the growth of each one that we work on. For example, we’re hoping Hong Kong will continue to grow every year like the others. We want to grow into the 300,000-square foot convention centre space!

In terms of the growth of sports, bodybuilding in general has taken a turn in popularity since men’s physique and classic physique were introduced. We were never looking to add divisions; it’s just that they became so popular that we had to. Conversely, the popularity of women’s bodybuilding, for example, just wasn’t there, so we had to do away with it. We’d have seven applicants for bodybuilding versus 76 for women’s physique. It’s an emerging category, so we’re going to run with it.

The other thing we’re going to do is try to have our own competitions within the six Arnold Classics. For instance, another title that’s still out there is “the first guy/girl to win six Arnold Classics.” The goal is to do that in boxing, cheerleading, or whatever the other sports may be. We want to take the overall winner of each category, and let them choose the continent they want to go to compete in, and send them for free! We want to let them defend their title in another location. Now we can cross-pollinate through all the sports.

Mindi O’Brien (7-Time Arnold Classic Competitor –
Fitness and Physique):

“Words cannot describe the feeling of being on the stage at the Arnold Classic. There’s just so much going on at one time that it is nearly overwhelming. There’s this rush of emotions that simply carry you through the entire competition, and the next thing you know, you’re back again the following year wondering where the heck the time went. I look forward to the Arnold Classic every year; it’s like the Stanley Cup of the IFBB. The AC is always full of excitement and surprises, which is evidenced through the expansion of the Arnold Classic into different continents—I was fortunate to compete in the very first Arnold Classic Europe held in Spain a few years ago, and what an experience that was! As both an athlete and a coach, I’m beyond excited to see how diverse and talented these athletes are going to become.”

Ryall Graber (2013 Arnold Brasil 1st Place Fitness,
9-Time AC competitor Ohio/Brasil/Europe):

“IFBB pro fitness has officially been added to every continent, so it’s a really special and unique time to be part of the industry in general. It’s crazy! I’ve never been more excited about a season in my entire life. I want this to be the year of the Arnold for me, and all the exceptional athletes who have applied.”

2016 Arnold Schedule

Arnold Sports Festival
March 3–6, 2016
Columbus, Ohio, USA

Arnold Australia
March 18–20, 2016
Melbourne, Australia

Arnold Classic Brasil
April 1–3, 2016
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Arnold Classic Africa
May 27–29, 2016
Johannesburg, South Africa

Arnold Classic Asia
August 19–21, 2016
Hong Kong, China

Arnold Classic Europe
September 23–26, 2016
Madrid, Spain