Competitors pose during the Arnold Classic Pro Show during the Arnold Sports Festival Australia at The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on March 17, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Arnold Sports Festival: Why is it called Arnold Classic?

Modified Mar 13, 2024 12:33 GMT

The Arnold Classic is just hours away from being held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Ohio. With the buzz around the competition at an all-time high, one question remains in everyone's mind: Why is the event called the Arnold Classic?

The Arnold Classic is the brainchild of a much larger annual sporting phenomenon called the Arnold Sports Festival. This festival hosts a variety of sporting events in the span of a few days.

The Arnold Sports Festival was established in 1989 and was named after one of its co-founders, legendary bodybuilder and sporting icon Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and his son Patrick (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

The first festival was held in 1989 but was called the Arnold Classic and only hosted the sport of bodybuilding. In 1970, after his quick rise as a public figure, Schwarzenegger was invited to Columbus by Mayor Jim Lorimer, who urged him to participate in the Mr World competition.

After the competition, the two struck a deal to begin hosting bodybuilding events in Columbus, starting in 1976. Due to the legendary bodybuilder's career in the sport, this was delayed for more than 10 years. But it was finally held for the first time in 1986 and dubbed the Arnold Classic.

Later, the event began hosting a variety of sports and renamed itself the Arnold Sports Festival.

The Arnold Sports Festival - An iconic sporting event

The Arnold Classic is lauded as the second-most prestigious bodybuilding show in the world, rivalled only by Joe Weider's Olympia. The inaugural sports festival only hosted two competitions, the Arnold Classic for men's bodybuilding and the Ms International for the women's version of the sport.

Over the years, various bodybuilding divisions were added to the Classic, such as 212, Classic Physique, and Men's and Women's Fitness International. This was followed by the addition of sports such as weightlifting, arm-wrestling, boxing, MMA, and crossfit.

AArnold Schwarzenegger is seen during the Arnold Sports Festival Africa 2019 (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Moreover, the Classic has widened its search for talent over the years, taking the competition to various countries in Africa, Europe, and South America.

The Arnold Sports Festival awards athletes with some of the highest prizes in this field. This is primarily why the festival has enjoyed a consistent flow of talent over the years.

An example of this is the prize bump the organization announced earlier this year that will see the winner of the Classic win a whopping $300,000.

The 2023 Arnold Classic

This year's edition of the legendary competition is set to take place on March 3-4 and it boasts a star-studded line-up.

Egyptian bodybuilder Big Ramy is coming to the Classic looking for redemption after losing his Mr Olympia title last year.

He will be joined on stage by former Classic champion William Bonac, current 212 Olympia champion Shaun Clarida, and Nick 'The Mutant' Walker. One of the most anticipated athletes at the event will be Nigerian Andrew Jacked, who looks ready to take the sport by storm.

The Classic is surely a spectacle of an event and the excitement surrounding it cannot be contained.