Bodybuilding veteran Dennis James is ready to see the Mr. Olympia get a makeover. On July 10, 2025, he called for fewer competitors at the Mr. Olympia, suggesting the contest should only showcase 10 to 15 athletes in each category.
With hundreds of IFBB Pros competing at the Mr. Olympia each year, some believe the judges have too much to look at and that it doesn’t accurately depict the sport’s best athletes in the world. Nevertheless, this prestigious show remains the crown jewel of the sport. In 2024, in the Men’s Open headliner, Samson Dauda dethroned Derek Lunsford to win the title.
The 2025 Mr. Olympia is around the corner, and while there’s hype surrounding top names from each division, some question if the sheer number of participants needs to change. Below, Dennis James made his case for reducing each class’ competitors, which could open the door for more prize money in the future.
Dennis James Wants Fewer Competitors at the Mr. Olympia Each Year
In the video, James made it clear that only the best in the world belong at the Mr. Olympia and suggested narrowing down the rosters to 10-15 competitors.
“Understand one thing: if you have 60 competitors in one category, who is paying for all this? You know what I’m saying? Before you can advocate for everybody getting paid, you need to bring those numbers down.
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There’s no 60 best in the world. Those 60 are not the best in the world. So you narrow it down to 10 or 15, then you can say those are the best,” explains Dennis James.
He explained that Arnold Schwarzenegger only invites 10-15 athletes per division each year to his annual contest and that Olympia should follow suit.
“How many times we had an Olympia with 20 guys back in the day, almost never,” he adds. “And back then, there was more opportunities to qualify because it was top three in regular shows.”
“If you have to bring in 450 competitors, just think about that, bring them in and get them hotels. Now, everybody wants prize money? There’s a reason why the Arnold only invites 10 or 12 guys or whatever it is. I think they should narrow it down to literally the top 10 or the top 15 and I think that should be no more.”
He believes several competitors don’t belong on the Mr. Olympia stage and only qualified because no one showed up to the contests they won.
“How are you going to say those are the best in the world when there’s 60 guys and 40 of them qualified because nobody showed up?” asks James. “They don’t belong on that stage. Unfortunately, we still have athletes on that Olympia stage that have no business being on that stage.”
Dennis James isn’t the only bodybuilder from the 1990s calling for changes. Recently, Lee Priest laid out why he believes the sport should award fewer pro cards. He posits that an oversaturation of pros has watered down the quality of competitors in the IFBB.
The annual Mr. Olympia event is to showcase the best in the world, and Dennis James doesn’t believe that’s possible with its current setup. From October 9-12, the 2025 Mr. Olympia will return to Las Vegas, Nevada.
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