Geschatte leestijd: 14 minutenEvery year, Joe Weider’s Fitness & Performance weekend is organized. Over the years, this event has grown into a gala of various combat and strength sports. However, the main event is what the Olympia Weekend originally started with: A bodybuilding competition. Not just any bodybuilding competition, but the most prestigious bodybuilding competition in the world.
The Mr. Olympia
Winning the Mr. Olympia is the ultimate achievement for a (professional) bodybuilder. Worldwide, this is the competition most watched by people. Many who are interested in bodybuilding, but do not actively follow the competitions, can often tell you who the current Mr. Olympia is or even name a few past Olympia winners.
Winning the Mr. Olympia not only ensures eternal fame as a bodybuilder but also provides the publicity to secure those lucrative sponsorship deals that set you financially set for life. Although the Mr. Olympia is held only in September, the focus of many top professional bodybuilders throughout the year is on qualifying for participation. The strategic decision on which competition to participate in is often based on the extent to which it increases the chance of being allowed to compete in September.
In this piece, I will describe the background and history of the Mr. Olympia’s origins, delve into the men who have won it, and finally explain the points system that has been used since last year for the qualifications.
Mr. Olympia “A NEW CONTEST IN THE MAKING” Excerpts from an Editorial by JOE WEIDER, Trainer of Champions, Muscle Builder, April 1965
When Alexander the Great at the age of 33 conquered the then-known world, he cried: “I have no new worlds to conquer!” The same applies to Larry Scott at 24 … Harold Poole at 20 … as well as Bill Pearl, Reg Park, Chuck Sipes and other greats. These men have already won the great physique titles … the MR. AMERICA … the MR. WORLD … the MR. UNIVERSE. They have no “new worlds” to conquer … they have won the great titles and in doing so have become ineligible to compete for the same titles again.
The Rules set by the IFBB, the AAU and the NABBA forbid a winner to re-enter the same contest and re-win that contest. While this is fair and just in that it “saves face” for such a man by not affording him the opportunity to lose the status and prestige that is already his, and while this encourages new competitors to vie for top honors, thereby “turning out” new champions at a steady pace to keep the Iron Game moving forward, it is unfortunate that it causes many champions to take layoffs and lose and not improve muscularity. The incentive is gone – the titles, the trophies, the glamor – and so the champions too often “retire”.
Bill Pearl cannot compete for titles he has already has .. nor can Park … Scott … Poole … Eiferman. How long can a champion be expected to remain on top without incentive? And even if he remains on top – what incentive has he to push harder and become even greater?
We need these champions … we want them to train harder – for personal benefits and for the knowledge they can give the world. We want to see just how far they can go … how big muscles can be built – and through this knowledge bodybuilding will be advanced and progress rapidly. We must establish a contest for the greats – and through this contest the greatest of the greats would emerge.
And so it has been decided to add this contest to our big IFBB shows annually. On September 18th – the date of this year’s 1965 IFBB MR. AMERICA and IFBB MR. UNIVERSE, you will also see another contest – a contest open only to the greats. This event will be held after the other two contests – so that the top winners of these can immediately enter and vie for top honors with the “old-timers”.
The Board of Directors of the IFBB has not yet determined an appropriate title for this contest – and we invite you to send in suggestions. We’ve thought of such titles as MR. OLYMPIC (the event would become advertised in June 1965 as the “MR. OLYMPIA” and would only be open to titleholders of major events e.g. MR. AMERICA, MR. WORLD, MR. UNIVERSE).
(Source: IFBB.com)
Origin of Mr. Olympia
The first Mr. Olympia was held in 1965. Up to that point, there were three federations for which a bodybuilder could compete. Each had its own highest title(s): Mr. Universe, Mr. World, and Mr. America. Larry Scott had won all these titles at least once. Scott was a big name that brought a lot of publicity to bodybuilding. He fit perfectly into the body & beach culture that had just emerged. However, he was about to hang up his dumbbells. After all, he had won everything there was to win and had nothing more to prove in that regard.
Furthermore, all three federations had the rule that it was not allowed to win one of these competitions again after it had already been won. This was interpreted in two ways: preserving the face of the current champion who could not lose his title to another on one hand and ensuring that new names get a chance on the other hand. This resulted in no challenge.
In addition, bodybuilding at that time, even at the highest level, was not very lucrative, and he actually had to work hard to make money for someone who had already won all these competitions, like the then only 24-year-old Larry Scott.
Joe Weider, along with his brother Ben, the founders of the International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB) and legends in the bodybuilding sport because of their efforts to promote it, realized that Larry Scott’s departure would be a great loss. Moreover, he recognized that if the sport was to succeed, the athletes, like other professional athletes, would need to be able to support themselves through the sport. He also saw the need for a platform where the various winners of the different major titles could annually compete with each other, including the one who had won the year before.
Mr. Heineken?
During a dinner in a restaurant in 1964, Joe Weider discussed his plans with Larry Scott. Larry was totally on board. This gave him the chance to compete with other big names like Reg Park and Bill Pearl. When Larry asked how the new competition would be named, Joe looked at his bottle of Olympia beer and said, “We’ll call it Mr. Olympia”. So it’s probably a good thing there wasn’t a bottle of Heineken on the table by chance. Larry had his doubts about choosing a beer brand as the name for a bodybuilding competition.
In the April 1965 issue of Muscle Builder (see right), a publication of the Weiders, Joe announced the decision to organize a new competition from that year onwards. The first one would be held on September 18th at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. On this date, the other IFBB titles, Mr. Universe and Mr. America, were also contested. The winners of these competitions could then immediately compete with the former champions in the new competition. In the announcement, it appears that Joe was still not entirely sure about the name as he invites people to think about the name and indicates that the name Mr. Olympic is being considered. However, in June of that year, the event is promoted as Mr. Olympia.
The Mr. Olympia is also known as The Sandows after the statue that the winners receive modeled after the founder of modern bodybuilding, Eugene Sandow.
Larry Scott, first Mr. Olympia (1965 & 1966)
The inaugural Mr. Olympia was won by Larry Scott, as was the 1966 title.
This was not very surprising and may have set the tone for an accusation heard every year at every bodybuilding competition. The Weiders understood very well that bodybuilding needed poster boys. Now, you might think that with such a physique, most bodybuilders are excellent candidates for a poster, but I mean it in the broader sense of the word. They understood that every sport needs an ambassador. While Ben and Joe Weider were behind the scenes and dedicated their lives to the development of the sport, they needed faces that appealed to everyone. As mentioned, this certainly applied to Larry Scott, the competition was conceived with him in mind, after all.
Bodybuilding is a subjective sport. If you had to pick a winner of a football match based on “who played the most beautiful football,” then in theory it would be easy for a jury to award the victory to the one they like to see win. Moreover, regardless of the outcome, there will always be debate about whether it was fair. Nevertheless, Larry Scott goes down in history as the first Mr. Olympia. In 1967, he announced his retirement from bodybuilding.
Larry passed away in March 2014 from complications of Alzheimer’s.
1967 & 1968: Rise of “The myth” Sergio Oliva
With Larry Scott’s departure, opportunities arose for the new generation. Sergio Oliva, a former powerlifter who fled from Cuba in 1961, brought bodybuilding to a new level. Sergio had previously competed for the AAU but failed to win the top title of Mr. World. Again, one may wonder what other interests were at play here, considering the competition was not at Sergio’s level. He switched to the IFBB in ’66 and won the Mr. America the same year and the Mr. Universe the following year. His level was so high that he not only won the Mr. Olympia title in ’67 (just four years after his first bodybuilding competition) but also wasn’t even challenged in ’68, thus winning it again.
1969 to 1974: The Battle with and Rise of Arnold Schwarzenegger
In 1969, Sergio faced a tougher challenge when the “Austrian Oak” Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared on the scene. Schwarzenegger had won the Mr. Universe in ’67 and had moved from London to the U.S. in ’68. In 1969, he stood as the last man standing alongside Oliva on the podium, finishing second while Oliva secured his third Mr. Olympia title.
In 1970, Arnold defeated Sergio. He stated he would never lose again until he retired from bodybuilding. He would prove to be right. 1969 was the last time Schwarzenegger would lose on stage. That’s not to say it was easy. Although he was not challenged in ’71, as Oliva was in ’68, and thus received the title “for free,” he had to fear for his title in ’72. The Olympia that year was held in Essen, Germany. Sergio came back better than ever. Arnold won, but the result was split and (like many) highly controversial. Of the seven judges, four chose Schwarzenegger. It’s not surprising that people wondered if other interests were at play. Arnold was someone who was thought to be able to do more for promoting the sport.
As much of a fan as I am of (the recently deceased) Sergio Oliva, it cannot be denied that Schwarzenegger has meant more for the popularity of the sport than any other bodybuilder.
Sergio was so disappointed by this defeat that he left the IFBB for twelve years and competed for other federations.
In 1973, Arnold won for the fourth time. His main opponents at that time were men like his good friend Franco Columbu (center) and Serge Nubret (left) whom he easily defeated. Franco Columbu took second place and Serge took third.
Arnold won his fifth title in 1974 when he faced his (literally) biggest opponent ever, Lou Ferrigno, for the first time. Ferrigno, who later got the role of “The Incredible Hulk” while Arnold was considered “too small” for it, stood at 1.96 meters and weighed around 130 kilograms. Lou finished second while Serge Nubret finished third.
200 class
That year, Franco Columbu competed in the new class: Up to 200 pounds, also known as the “lightweights”. From that moment on, prizes were awarded for the winner in the open class (heavyweights), the lighter class (then 200 pounds later, 202 and 212), and an overall prize for the one who could be called Mr. Olympia with this.
Columbu won this class followed by Frank Zane, but he lost the overall title to Schwarzenegger, who won a whopping $1,000 (I shit you not, I don’t forget zeros). That’s quite different from the $250,000 Phil Heath won for his victory at the 2012 Mr. Olympia, showing that the sport has certainly not stood still.
1975: “Pumping Iron”
The most famous battle for the Mr. Olympia is that of 1975. In the globally renowned bodybuilding documentary “Pumping Iron,” the participants of the Mr. Olympia, held in Pretoria, South Africa, are followed during their preparation and the battle itself. The rivalry between Arnold and Lou Ferrigno is particularly exaggerated. Arnold won his sixth title, while Lou Ferrigno and Serge Nubret reversed their results from the previous year. Lou finished third.
In the class up to 200 pounds, Franco Columbu won again, but he had to relinquish the overall title to Arnold once again.
That year, Arnold announced his retirement from the sport. However, he would make a comeback in 1980.
1976 to 1979: Columbu & Zane, bigger isn’t better
In ’76, the way was open in Schwarzenegger’s absence as an opponent (although he was present as a promoter and involved). It was the first year that the overall title was not won by a heavyweight, but someone from the 200 class. After five years, Franco Columbu finally won his first overall title, closely followed by Frank Zane. Columbu had his coveted prize and bid farewell to (competitive) bodybuilding.
The following year, Frank Zane took over, once again confirming that the “smaller” men didn’t have to lose to the heavyweights (Ken Waller won the open class). Frank would hold the title for three years. He won in ’77, ’78, and ’79. He seemed unstoppable, but then some Austrian guy ruined the party when he decided to return to the competition stage.
1980: “The Comeback”, Arnold wins seventh title
In 1980, Arnold was training for the filming of “Conan the Barbarian,” marking his first steps as an actor. As his physique improved during preparation, some wondered if he was preparing for the Olympia. This led him to think “Why not?” and decided to participate in the Mr. Olympia held that year in Australia. With only eight weeks to go, he focused his efforts on participating in the Olympia while everyone thought he was only training for the movie. Even when he boarded the plane to Australia, it was believed that he was going to report for TV. Even when he appeared at the participants’ gathering, it was assumed he was there as a promoter or official. It only became clear that he would compete when his name was called to choose his contestant number. Arnold won in the most controversial result to date.
Personally, looking back at the footage (see below), I didn’t find him the best on stage that day. Yet even then, he had the aura of a superstar and it seemed like he was defending his title. The real title defender, Frank Zane, had just recovered from a life-threatening injury and had lost mass compared to previous years. However, Arnold also didn’t come in his best form as he was less defined alongside the mass. Others like Mike Mentzer and Chris Dickerson came in their best form and were, to put it mildly, not amused when Arnold won the prize. Dickerson, who came second, shouted in disbelief as he angrily stepped off the stage. Frank Zane, who came third, reportedly smashed his trophy against the wall backstage, while Mentzer, who came fifth, spoke of political games and conspiracies. Even the audience was not pleased with the result, despite appreciating the fact that they could see Arnold in action again. There was a lot of booing heard upon hearing the result. Among others, Zane and Mentzer decided to boycott the ’81 Mr. Olympia.
Arnold himself acknowledged that it was the toughest battle he had fought on stage so far in a speech after receiving the trophy. Franco Columbu then briefly took the floor. For this, he just had to bend the microphone stand as it was too high for him. Unfortunately, it was a quite expensive microphone that shouldn’t have been bendable, so it resulted in a nice bill for the organization.
By the way, from that year onwards, there was no longer a division into weight classes.
1981: Franco Columbu copies comeback
After Arnold’s comeback, Franco Columbu felt inspired and decided to sign up for the ’81 Olympia. His chances were increased by the absence of the men who decided to boycott the event. Chris Dickerson again came second.
Again, not everyone agreed unanimously with the victory of a former champion making a comeback. Franco had not been on the podium for five years. Moreover, in ’77, he had been told he would probably never walk again.
Besides being a bodybuilder, Franco was also known as a strongman. When he, along with best friend Arnold Schwarzenegger, came to the U.S., he already held several powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting records. In 1977, he participated in the first edition of the World’s Strongest Man competition. Despite being much lighter than the other participants, he led in points for a long time. Then came the event where the participants had to run downhill with a refrigerator tied to their back. Franco fell, and everyone could see his leg dislocated. During a six-hour operation, all his leg muscles were removed, his leg was repaired, and the muscles were replaced. Reportedly, he received 1 million dollars in compensation from the organization after a lawsuit. Although he miraculously recovered almost completely, the mass of his leg muscles in 1981 was much less than before. Moreover, the fact that his best friend Arnold was a promoter did not make the appearance of objectivity any greater.
1982: Chris Dickerson wins the title
The 1982 Mr. Olympia was held in London. Franco didn’t participate anymore, and 43-year-old Chris Dickerson seized his chance and finally became first after finishing second twice. He thus became the oldest man to win the Mr. Olympia. Upon receiving the trophy, he announced his retirement on stage.
Chris was not your typical bodybuilder, if such a thing exists. Mahala (his real first name) was one of triplets and besides being a bodybuilder and athlete, he was also a renowned opera singer. Besides Dexter Jackson, he is the only one who has won both the Mr. Olympia and the Masters (40+). Another thing he shares with Dexter Jackson (and Samir Bannout, see below) is that he is one of the few who won the Mr. Olympia “only” once. He was also the first black American to win Mr. America.
Chris Dickerson spent over thirty years on the (bodybuilding) stage. His last appearance was in 1994 when he won the Masters in the 50+ category.
1983: The Lion of Lebanon wins. Rise and Fall of Great Bodybuilders
In 1983 in Munich, it was Samir Bannout “the Lion of Lebanon” who won his first and only Mr. Olympia title. Samir may not have had the genes to win the title more often, but he had the dedication. He had already been on the podium in 1974 as the youngest participant of the Mr. Universe until 2011 when he participated in the Pro World Masters.
That same year, we see the first Mr. Olympia appearance of someone who would later take the title and not let it go for a while.
Lee Haney finished third that year ahead of Frank Zane, who took fourth place. Lee would then leave a strong mark on the Mr. Olympia.
Someone else I want to mention here and who didn’t fare well is Bertil Fox. This British-born, St. Kitts-raised bodybuilder had previously won the titles of Mr. Universe and Mr. World for the other federations AAU and NABBA. However, within the IFBB, he didn’t seem to fit well, as evidenced by his (too?) low placement at the 1983 Mr. Olympia. He competed three more times but never placed higher than seventh. Disappointed and disillusioned, he stopped competing in 1994 and opened a gym on his native island of St. Kitts. Bertil’s notoriety would probably have ended there, were it not for his conviction in 1998 for murder after he shot his ex-fiancée and mother-in-law in broad daylight. He was sentenced to death, which was later commuted to life imprisonment. The sad story of Bertil Fox is documented in the “beautiful” documentary Death and the Bodybuilder (see below).
1984 to 1991: The Era of Lee Haney
In 1984, the era of dominance by Lee Haney began. That year, the event was attended by more visitors than ever before, and the total prize money had increased to $100,000. Lee Haney won as the most massive Mr. Olympia up to that point. He then won the title seven more times, equaling Schwarzenegger’s achievement.
2008: Dexter Jackson Wins. Quality over Quantity?
You have read that the results of this bodybuilding competition often depend on factors other than who looks the best at that moment. Additionally, the definition of “the best” also changes over time. In 2008, the focus shifted from mass to conditioning (how dry you are) and symmetry (proportions). That year, Jay was defeated by Dexter “the blade” Jackson, whose nickname has nothing to do with vampire hunters and everything to do with his lack of body fat.
In 2008, a debutant at the Olympia took third place behind Dexter and his mentor Jay Cutler. Phil “the gift” Heath showed in his first appearance that he was someone to be reckoned with.
2009 and 2010: Jay Follows Arnold and Franco
In 2009, Jay was determined to reclaim the title, and he succeeded. With this win, he copied the achievement of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu by regaining the Olympia while it was in someone else’s hands. He was also the first ever to regain it after losing the title to someone else (Arnold and Franco had stopped competing before coming back). Unlike Arnold and Franco, Jay didn’t stop at just one repeat win; he won it again the following year.
2011: The Apprentice Beats the Master
In 2011, Jay placed second behind his friend and pupil Phil “the gift” Heath. Phil lived up to expectations that he was the man to watch. Phil is called “the gift” because of his immense talent for the sport: Good symmetry, full muscle bellies, and a narrow waist. From 2011 to the present day, it seems that Phil is unbeatable in his best form.
I’ve already written a piece about this back then that you can read here.
2012: The Gift vs. The Predator
Last year, the battle was mainly between Phil Heath and Kai Greene. Newcomer Shawn Rhoden surprised by taking third place. You can read the report of that competition here.
2013: The Loss of Joe
This year, on March 23, the co-founder of the IFBB and creator of the Mr. Olympia, Joe Weider, passed away at the age of 93.
Qualification for Mr. Olympia 2013
As of 2012, a new qualification system is in place for participation in the Mr. Olympia. This points system awards points to the top five of IFBB competitions, excluding the winner who is automatically qualified. The number of points given to the second to fifth placers depends on the competition. In addition to the winners of competitions that year, the five bodybuilders with the most points are qualified to participate in the Mr. Olympia.
Mr. Olympia 2013: Phil Wins Third Title
In the men’s division, Iris Kyle broke a record by winning the title for the ninth time. Phil Heath won his third consecutive Mr. Olympia. Kai Greene once again placed second. Jay Cutler made his comeback this year, but only managed to secure sixth place. Antillean Roelly Winklaar delivered his best performance ever at the Olympia, finishing seventh.
Sources
- www.ifbb.com
- www.ifbbpro.com
- www.wikipedia.com
- www.getbig.com
