Athletes who haven’t been paid following the 2025 Masters Olympia can now rest easy. On Oct. 22, Olympia Owner Jake Wood confirmed he will advance prize money to athletes after the Tokyo-based promoter failed to issue agreed-upon payments.
The Masters Olympia is one of the most prestigious contests on the IFBB Pro League calendar for athletes over 40 years old. Over the years, several high-profile champions have emerged, including Robby Robinson, Vince Taylor, and former 2008 Mr. Olympia Dexter Jackson.
The 2025 Masters Olympia took place Aug. 9-10 in Tokyo, Japan, and featured 10 bodybuilding divisions. In the headlining Men’s Open class, Dorian Haywood defeated Phil Clahar to capture the title. However, while speaking in interviews and on social media, Clahar revealed he and other athletes hadn’t been paid their prize money.
This even caught Lee Priest’s attention, who helped stir public interest to ensure these bodybuilders received compensation. Fortunately, over three months after the show, the issue has been resolved.
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Jake Wood Steps In to Pay 2025 Masters Olympia Athletes After Promoter Delay
In an Instagram post, Olympia Owner Jake Wood confirmed he will pay athletes their prize money after revealing that the Tokyo-based promoter delayed payment.
“It has been brought to my attention that the Tokyo-based promoter of the Masters Olympia has not yet fulfilled the agreed-upon prize money obligations to the athletes.
In light of this development, I will be personally advancing the prize money payments in order to prevent any further delays.
My office will be contacting each athlete individually to initiate the payment process.”Jake Wood
Olympia Productions LLC
Owner,” the statement read.
Prominent voices in the bodybuilding community shared their thoughts on the latest developments. Former eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney was one of the first to stress that this promoter was unreliable:
“This promoter has proven to be unreliable. The funds should have been escrowed before the event was announced for registration.
No excuses!!!!”
Seven-time Mr. O Phil Heath chimed in, along with former two-time Classic Physique Olympia Breon Ansley.
“Now that’s leadership!” shared Heath.
“this doesn’t affect me directly here but we are indebted to you for the growth of our sport! We need to reminded and completely slow ourselves down whenever we are inclined to point the finger when we disagree with any @mrolympiallc issues🙏🏾 thank you @jake_wood_media” Ansley said.
From increasing the Mr. Olympia Men’s Open prize money last year to stepping in to pay Masters Olympia athletes, Jake Wood continues to display leadership when it’s needed. Fans look forward to the next Masters Olympia contest on the horizon.
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