The Lion of Lebanon thinks the Olympia must showcase solely the very best of the very best.
To shut the 2022 calendar 12 months, the Worldwide Federation of Bodybuilding and Health (IFBB) revealed the requirements for the 2023 Olympia qualification course of. The competition’s subsequent iteration will happen someday in November 2023 in Orlando, FL. Earlier than that aggressive second arrives, a former Mr. Olympia (1983) champion, Samir Bannout, lately mentioned what he feels are points regarding bodybuilding’s fundamental occasion.
Throughout a Jan. 3, 2023, episode of The Muscle Maturity Podcast, Bannout broke down his present ideas on bodybuilding as a sport and the place he feels the flagship Mr. Olympia should evolve. Among the many extra notable bullet factors was the previous health titan stressing that the qualification course of for the competition must be extra inflexible.
Maybe essentially the most vital change to the IFBB’s Olympia qualification system in 2023 was that there would now not be a factors system. Solely the top-five finishers within the 2022 Mr. Olympia, the highest three athletes in every other 2022 Olympia division, and the respective contest winners of each IFBB Professional League competitors in 2023 will qualify for November’s festivities in Florida.
In a spanning dialogue, this can be a change that Bannout welcomed and mentioned doesn’t go far sufficient. The 2022 Mr. Olympia stage held a area of 30 opponents vying for the title, which was too huge a area in Bannout’s skilled opinion.
“The Olympia ought to by no means be greater than 20 contestants. By no means. That must be the restrict. The cream of the crop ought to get on that stage,” Bannout mentioned. “For those who don’t make the highest ten, it’s over. I feel the highest 5 ought to qualify once more.”
Relating to prize cash, the Males’s Open class, with champion Hadi Choopan, eclipsed each different taking part Olympia division by far in the 2022 edition of the Olympia. It is a discrepancy Bannout doesn’t admire. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bannout believes the Basic Physique division deserves extra respect.
“A man like Chris Bumstead, actually, he was essentially the most conditioned and essentially the most skilled on the Olympia weekend, and his verify was $50,000.” Bannout began. “And the third-place winner (within the Males’s Open) took residence $100,000. How [expletive] do you clarify that?”
As for bettering the Olympia’s common presentation, Bannout famous he thinks the competition’s organizers must be making extra of an earnest effort to spotlight past victors. To this former Olympia champion, his recommended plan is to proceed constructing the game’s mystique whereas catering to loyal spectators by honoring Olympia winners from earlier years.
“It [would be] actually cool each decade, at the least or each 5-6 years, carry all of the Mr. Olympias on stage for simply two minutes,” Bannout proposed. “And that’s gonna carry a extra pleased environment and celebration. Like Arnold does [at the Arnold Classic contest], he brings all the previous Arnold Basic champions.”
Whether or not the IFBB and the Olympia’s organizers will take Bannout’s ideas and apply them sooner or later stays to be seen. For now, he’s simply the newest legend of the game who appears to need higher for these athletes which have come after him.
Featured picture: @officialsamirbannout on Instagram
