With the Open winner’s prize money soaring to $500,000 at the next Arnold Classic, discussions have ignited about whether Mr. Olympia will remain the number one event in the sport. In a recent YouTube video, Flex Wheeler evaluated how this increase will affect Mr. Olympia, emphasizing that athletes today care more about money than titles.
When the dust settled in Columbus, Ohio, bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger dropped a bombshell. He revealed that he would no longer honor the gentlemen’s agreement with Mr. Olympia, announcing a staggering Open winner prize money increase from $300,000 to $500,000.
Following Hadi Choopan’s latest victory against Samson Dauda at the 2024 Arnold Classic, fans’ attention now shifts to the next major bodybuilding contest, Mr. Olympia, which is set to celebrate its 60th anniversary from October 10-13 in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the last event, Derek Lunsford unseated Choopan as the reigning champion, establishing himself as the sport’s first-ever two-division Mr. Olympia titleholder.
In light of the new financial incentive for the Men’s Open winner at the 2025 Arnold Classic, Wheeler, a former four-time Arnold Classic champion, contends that athletes may start prioritizing this event as the most important of the bodybuilding calendar.
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Flex Wheeler Says Arnold Classic Could Overtake Mr. Olympia as the ‘Premiere Show’ After Open Prize Money Increase
Despite the prestige behind the annual Mr. Olympia event, Flex Wheeler argues that times have changed and athletes might favor the Arnold Classic due to its higher payout.
“Yeah, let’s have that hard conversation, I hope it goes up to [overall prize money]. We’re competitors and we wish we got paid more, but let’s if you allow me, let’s dive into this deeper. The Olympia is a prestige show, the number one show.
It was a first show, it came before the Arnold, so it had a lot of time and Olympia was always a higher dollar amount so I think that’s where the prestige came from. It was never the prize money or anything like that. Now, the times have changed. We’re talking 59 years now, times have changed.”
In today’s bodybuilding climate, Wheeler suggests that athletes care more about financial incentives than titles.
“My argument and my thought, if Arnold raises money to that amount and the Olympia doesn’t respond, not this year, next year, they don’t have to respond. If they don’t respond next year, I think there is now an argument that what is the premiere show.
Because I think them, today’s time, we cared about the Olympia title back in our time but today’s time, the athletes I think care more about money than they do a title.”
For decades, the Arnold Classic has largely been considered the second-biggest event of the year, though Wheeler believes that could change soon.
“Therefore I think it’s going to be a very interesting conversation if the Olympia doesn’t respond because I think these athletes of today will jump into the Arnold first and that’ll be their premiere show and secondary as like a backup game, go to the Olympia, unlike people warm up for the Arnold going into the Olympia. I think that might change simply because of the money,” Flex Wheeler shared.
The sudden bump in Open winner prize money has ruffled feathers within the bodybuilding community. Most notably, female athletes such as former 10-time Ms. Olympia Iris Kyle and reigning three-time Women’s Physique Olympia Sarah Villegas have made public statements, denouncing Schwarzenegger’s latest payout increase. In unity, they both called for the event to include more women’s divisions, stressing equal opportunities.
Bob Cicherillo has also chimed in on the matter. He believes the Men’s Open and Classic Physique categories bring in the lion’s share of revenue and therefore, the prize money increase is justified. Moreover, he emphasized that the sport is a business ‘first and foremost,’ and in a similar vein, illustrated his point by sharing that the NBA subsidizes the WNBA.
In an ever-changing sport, fans look forward to seeing how Schwarzenegger’s Open prize money increase affects the Mr. Olympia payout structure. Regardless, it appears to be welcoming news for athletes competing in the Men’s Open division.
RELATED: 2024 Arnold Classic Prize Money Breakdown For All Divisions
Watch the full video from the Olympia TV YouTube channel below:
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