Jake Wood, the owner of Mr. Olympia, believes the event might undergo a major transformation soon, hinting that the biggest bodybuilding show could go international.

On May 26, the Instagram account of RxMuscle posted the update, along with Wood’s statement, which many fans may have been thinking, “OLYMPIA TO DUBAI? BRAZIL? GERMANY? ELSEWHERE??”

In the short clip, Wood was seen saying, “And with all that said about bouncing around, we are also taking a look at the idea of taking the Olympia outside the country once every five years or so.

Yeah, so we are thinking about that. We’re not announcing that it’s happening, but we’re looking at the possibilities and examining what the benefits and what the losses will be on that.”

Wood also revealed the challenges of moving the competition to different venues every year.

He said, “We’re doing the best we can. Every single year, we’ve been dealing with the issue of that we’ve been changing venues every year, so we need to adapt our show and whatnot.

I’m hoping to spend a good period of time exactly as we’re setting up this year, Palms Hotel, with the Orleans Arena, and of course, LBCC, that way we can actually start to refine and do better for the athletes.”

According to Wood, the agency is trying out many venues to find the perfect place that makes the experience richer for participants and fans.

Apart from Wood, the bodybuilding veteran Shawn Ray also hinted at a possible expansion to Dubai in 2023.

He said, “It’s going to be a matter of time before I think the Mr. Olympia winds up here on some level, and it’s going to open a whole other door of growth in our sport.”

Only time will tell whether Mr. Olympia moves to Dubai or to any other place. In the meantime, let's explore whether this event has gone international before.

Mr. Olympia in the international venues in the past

While Mr. Olympia is now known for being held in Las Vegas, there have been many instances when the event went international.

Some of the vital locations where the event took place include:

• Paris, France, in 1971
• Essen, Germany, in 1972
• Pretoria in South Africa in 1975
• Sydney, Australia, in 1980
• London, England, in 1982
• Brussels, Belgium, in 1985
• Gothenburg in Sweden in 1987
• Rimini in Italy, in 1988.

Among all these, the 1975 Mr. Olympia was one of the most memorable international events due to Pumping Iron. It launched Arnold Schwarzenegger into the world of camera, light, and action, and also laid the groundwork for his acting career.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason