By Roger Lockridge
The Arnold Sports Festival is best-known for taking place in Columbus, Ohio, but they have expanded their awareness and reach over the last decade. Arnold events have taken place on six continents in recent years, and there is now a new one coming to the United Kingdom.
The inaugural Arnold Sports UK is set to take place October 1st through 3rd at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. The event is being promoted by 2017 World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall and co-promoter Stephen Olexy. While Hall is best known for strongman, and Schwarzenegger is a seven-time Mr. Olympia in bodybuilding, this experience is going to feature a platter of fitness events.
Bodybuilding
The featured event of the weekend is the inaugural Arnold Classic UK contest, which will reward the winner with a qualification to the 2022 Mr. Olympia. Among those competing is UK favorite Nathan DeAsha, Canadian sensation Regan Grimes, and ten other professional bodybuilders from around the world. Other professional divisions set to host contests include Classic Physique, Men’s Physique, Bikini, and Fitness. There are amateur contests as well where winners could receive IFBB Pro League pro cards.
Strongman
Hall is closely associated with Giants Live because it was at one of their events that he became the first man to deadlift 500 kilograms. They are working together at the Arnold UK event to put on a pro strongman contest. The event will be part of the Giants Live World’s Strongest Man tour, which means the top three finishers will qualify for the 2022 World’s Strongest Man contest.
Arnold Fitness Games
The Arnold Fitness Games will feature fitness competitions designed for intermediate and advanced athletes to determine which man and woman are the Fittest. The competition will feature both individual and team events, so more athletes will be able to take part. Qualifiers for this event started taking place in June. Top finishers in these various qualifiers will be invited to Birmingham to compete at the ultimate contest.
Meet Your Heroes
One of the most talked about events from the Arnold UK Festival is the “Meet Your Heroes” panel. The list of athletes and celebrities that are expected to attend read like a who’s who of sports and entertainment.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger – Seven time Mr. Olympia
- Eddie Hall – 2017 World’s Strongest Man
- Usain Bolt – Olympic Gold Medalist
- Ronnie Coleman – Eight time Mr. Olympia
- Khabib Nurmagomedov – Undefeated UFC Champion
- Georges St. Pierre – Former UFC Champion, MMA Great
- Wim Hof – 26 time Guiness Book of World Record holder
- Katie Taylor – World Lightweight Boxing Champion
Other Competitions
Much like other Arnold events, there are other sports featured that may not get the same exposure such as powerlifting, hip-hop dancing competitions, cheerleading, amateur wrestling, and various martial arts events including amateur MMA events. In total, there are over 20 sports and events featured at this inaugural contest. Anyone that is within close proximity of Birmingham will not want to miss this. For more information, go to www.arnoldsportsfestivaluk.com . Check back with Muscle Insider as well because we will have more to come about this historic event.