The IFBB Pro League’s management team recently announced they would abandon the points-based qualification system previously used to qualify athletes for Mr. Olympia. Instead, new deadlines are in place for qualification. Samir Bannout, Nick Trigili, and John Hansen dissected what this means for the future of the competition in the latest episode of Muscle Maturity.
The winner of each competition and the top three bodybuilders in points qualified for the 2022 Mr. Olympia. However, the latest change in qualification means that only the winners of the contests held within the stated deadlines will qualify for Mr. Olympia 2023. Hansen gave his two cents on the topic to start with:
Bannout, in agreement, insinuated that the most prestigious title in the sport should only contain the best of the best. He added:
Trigili agreed with them but raised concerns about the large number of shows that would need to cram their schedule to fit in the qualification period. He also mentioned that the promoters of various shows outside the qualification period would be upset by the decision as they would see close to no participation.
Bannout on the prize-money disparities between divisions of Mr. Olympia
All the professionals at the competition were paid according to their respective finishes at the 2022 Mr. Olympia from the funds allocated for the prizes, totaling up to $1.5 million. However, the vast pay gap between the Men’s Open and every other division sparked off a conversation where Bannout said:
Despite only being inaugurated seven years ago, in 2016, Mr. Olympia Classic Physique quickly became one of the most popular shows at the event. Chris Bumstead, who is arguably the most famous bodybuilder today, has undoubtedly driven up viewership for the whole of Mr. Olympia. He is a true modern-day celebrity athlete with nearly 14 million followers tuning in to see his life on his Instagram account alone.
One can only hope that the prize-money situation changes this year. It remains to be seen whether the changes will arrive or whether the Men’s Open will continue to dominate the prize pool for historical reasons.
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