The time of year for the Mr. Olympia competition has once again come around and just like every year before, there is much talk about the competitors, the outcomes, and just who to look out for next year. There are so many great competitors and everyone has a shot at winning the title, it just all depends on how tough the competition is. For those who are not familiar with the contest, settle in and learn about a long standing tradition on the lives of bodybuilders.
The Mr. Olympia competition has been around since 1965 and past holders of the title are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno. Their wins in the competition actually helped set off their acting careers, and look at where both of them are now; iconic in more than one world. The contest was created by Joe Weider because he wanted to enable the Mr. Universe winners to continue competing and to earn money at something that they loved to do. The prize money is up to $250,000. The Mr. Olympia is part of a weekend long event that also hosts the Ms. Olympia, Fitness Olympia, and Figure Olympia.
The Mr. Olympia competition is part of the weekend long competition and it takes place in the great Las Vegas, Nevada. What better place to hold it than the Las Vegas Convention Center? In a city full of pizzazz and showmanship, the Mr. Olympia will begin and end in a city full of luck and having a good time.
Even though it may seem like anyone could enter, there are very strict rules and qualifications that must be met before a bodybuilder could enroll in the contest. These qualifications are; you could be a previous Mr. Olympia winner (if more than 5 years they must have IFBB approval). The top 6 finalists from the previous year’s Mr. Olympia also automatically qualify, not to mention the top 6 finalists from the present year’s Arnold Classic. Also the top 5 finalists from the present year’s New York Men’s Professional, the top 3 finalists from any other competition in the IFBB professional tour which are held during the subsequent year prior to the Mr. Olympia. The winner of the Masters Professional World Championships also qualifies to be in the Mr. Olympia, and finally, the event organizer can nominate any one competitor who has not qualified by any of the other qualifications, as a “special invitee.”
This year there are a number of competitors who have made the qualifications to make it to the Mr. Olympia contest. They are: Phil Heath, Kai Greene, Shawn Rhoden, Dexter Jackson, Dallas McCarver, Juan Morel, Brandon Curry, Fred Smalls, Maxx Charles,
Cedric McMillan, and Jon Delarosa who are all from the United States. Dennis Wolf and Ronny Rockel come from Germany, Roelly Winklaar is from Curacao, Essa Obaid is from the UAE, Mohamad Ali Bannout hails from Lebanon, William Bonac comes from the Netherlands, Abdelaziz Jellali is from Morocco, Fouad Abiad represents Canada, and finally Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay is from Kuwait.
All of these men have a great shot at getting the title, but only one is defending it for the last four years in a row, and his name is Phil Heath. Since 2011, Phil has held the title of Mr. Olympia and he is looking to pick it up again this year. He is of course coming up against the man he met in the finals last year, Kai Greene, and there is much talk as to if he will be able to succeed in winning again this year.
Besides the competition between Phil Heath and Kai Greene, there has also been some talk about Big Ramy moving up the ranks to potentially take his place near the top. While he has been getting more defined and more muscular, it is always interesting times to see if anyone can topple the reigning champ. Big Ramy is definitely being talked about as one of the biggest guys around this year, and everyone will see if that is going to hold true this weekend.
When the Mr. Olympia competition rolls around, all of the big names are there in the bodybuilding world, and old winners come out to congratulate the new winners. It is really a time to focus on the beauty that is bodybuilding and congratulate those who really do work hard to get to the point that they are today. It is not an easy job, and some would even laugh at the idea of it being a job, but it is certainly one that all of these competitors enjoy. If you are looking to get into the world of bodybuilding or are curious about the world itself, then attending the Mr. Olympia competition will get you started in learning more and seeing just what you can achieve.
