5 most controversial Mr. Olympia ever: ft. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1980 fiasco
Sometimes even the most prestigious competitions are vulnerable to being boycotted and being seen as biased if the competitors and audiences feel that the performances don't concur with the scores.
Here are the top 5 controversies from Mr. Olympia:
5. 1991: Bev Francis loses Ms. Olympia
Bev Francis seemed destined to win her first Ms. Olympia title in 1991, but surprisingly lost out to Lenda Murray at the final moment. Francis was much more muscular than most other women competing for the title, which reportedly did not sit well with the judges.
Until the pre-judging rounds, Bev was leading by four points, but lost to Murray by one point in the final. This is seen as the most controversial Ms. Olympia result.
4. 1992: New Rules for Ms. Olympia
In 1992, the IFBB laid out a new requirement for the female bodybuilders coming for the Ms. Olympia title: that overt muscularity would be marked down. Many believe it was Bev Francis' physique which led to this change.
In a Facebook post, bodybuilder Corinna (Cory) Everson seemingly shared her support for Fracis.
"So many people think Bev was such a physically huge bodybuilder … heeeheee look at how cute she was compared to us in these photos! I felt like a giant!" the caption read.
3. 1990: Dope-testing (and disqualification) at Mr. Olympia
In 1990, the IFBB announced that the contestants of Mr. Olympia would be tested for steroid usage for the competition. The testing was done by an International Olympic Committee accredited laboratory before the event began, and many bodybuilders were prohibited from competing.
2. 2014: Phil Heath and Kai Greene altercation
At the 2014 Mr. Olympia, two bodybuilders almost broke into a fight before the show ended. Kai Greene and Phil Heath's fight is among the most heated moments on the stage of Mr. Olympia. Watch here:
1. 1980: Arnold Schwarzenegger wins Mr. Olympia
The 1980 Mr. Olympia is still considered the most controversial one in the history of bodybuilding. Arnold Schwarzenegger won the event and retired from Mr. Olympia in 1980. But this wasn't the first time that he had retired.
After his first retirement in 1975, Arnold joined the competition after five years, completely out of the blue. Many of the other contestants felt that Arnold won only because of his Hollywood fame and connections.