Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Competition

Mr. Olympia has nothing to do with the Olympics. It is a professional bodybuilding contest that began in 1965 until present time. At first, the name of the competition wasn’t really Mr. Olympia; it was just the title of the award that was given to the winner of the Joe Weider’s Olympia Weekend. The Joe Weider’s Olympia Weekend was the primary name of the competition and it was organized by the International Federation of Bodybuilding & Fitness or the IFBB. Mr. Olympia is the highest title every bodybuilder wishes to have.

Joe Weider created Mr. Olympia because he wanted to help bodybuilders make money. In September 1965, the first Mr. Olympia was held and Larry Scott won for two consecutive years. The famous Arnold Schwarzenegger won Mr. Olympia for 7 times which made him an icon in the sport of bodybuilding. The record for most wins come from Lee Haney and Ronnie Coleman with 8 titles to their name.

Qualifications to Join Mr. Olympia

Here are the criteria to be able to compete in this prestigious bodybuilding contest:

1. He should be a previous Mr. Olympia winner (up to 5 years only, otherwise IFBB approval is needed)
2. Part of the Top 6 in the last year’s Mr. Olympia
3. Part of the Top 6 of the Arnold’s Classic in the same year ( Arnold’s Classic is a bodybuilding competition made by Arnold Schwarzenegger)
4. Part of the Top 5 of the Night of the Champions/New York Men’s Professional in the same year.
5. Winner of Masters Professional World Championships

Mr. Olympia Winners

Here is the complete list of winners for Mr. Olympia since 1965 to 2011:

1965 Larry Scott New York, United States
1966 Larry Scott New York, United States
1967 Sergio Oliva New York, United States
1968 Sergio Oliva New York, United States
1969 Sergio Oliva New York, United States
1970 Arnold Schwarzenegger New York, United States
1971 Arnold Schwarzenegger Paris, France
1972 Arnold Schwarzenegger Copenhagen, Denmark
1973 Arnold Schwarzenegger New York, United States
1974 Arnold Schwarzenegger New York, United States
1975 Arnold Schwarzenegger Gauteng, South Africa
1976 Franco Columbu Ohio, United States
1977 Frank Zane Ohio, United States
1978 Frank Zane Ohio, United States
1979 Frank Zane Ohio, United States
1980 Arnold Schwarzenegger New South Wales, Australia
1981 Franco Columbu Ohio, United States
1982 Chris Dickerson England, United Kingdom
1983 Samir Bannout Bavaria, Germany
1984 Lee Haney New York, United States
1985 Lee Haney Brussels, Belgium
1986 Lee Haney Ohio, United States
1987 Lee Haney Gothenburg, Sweden
1988 Lee Haney California, United States
1989 Lee Haney Emilia-Romagna, Italy
1990 Lee Haney Illinois, United States
1991 Lee Haney Florida, United States
1992 Dorian Yates Helsinki, Finland
1993 Dorian Yates Georgia, United States
1994 Dorian Yates Georgia, United States
1995 Dorian Yates Georgia, United States
1996 Dorian Yates Illinois, United States
1997 Dorian Yates California, United States
1998 Ronnie Coleman New York, United States
1999 Ronnie Coleman Nevada, United States
2000 Ronnie Coleman Nevada, United States
2001 Ronnie Coleman Nevada, United States
2002 Ronnie Coleman Nevada, United States
2003 Ronnie Coleman Nevada, United States
2004 Ronnie Coleman Nevada, United States
2005 Ronnie Coleman Nevada, United States
2006 Jay Cutler Nevada, United States
2007 Jay Cutler Nevada, United States
2008 Dexter Jackson Nevada, United States
2009 Jay Cutler Nevada, United States
2010 Jay Cutler Nevada, United States