The Mr. Olympia is almost here, prompting owner Jake Wood to discuss where the sport is headed. In a recent YouTube video shared on September 19, 2024, Wood discussed the chances of The Sphere hosting Mr. Olympia, judging, and what to expect at this year’s 60th anniversary event.
In 2020, Jake Wood bought out the Mr. Olympia, which apparently had many suitors eager to purchase the company, including Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and entrepreneur Patrick Bet-David. Wood’s influence on the sport has been impactful for years, courtesy of owning the Wings of Strength organization, a promotion that has helped elevate female bodybuilding to new heights.
With the biggest show of the year rapidly approaching, Wood joined a panel of bodybuilding minds to tease what’s to come. From ideal venue locations to his thoughts on why conditioning has become the ‘lazy’ way to judge, fans were treated to some insider information before the event takes over Sin City in less than three weeks.
Owner Jake Wood Says Mr. Olympia Would Cost $12 Million to Host at The Sphere, Discusses Judging and 60th Anniversary Show
Initially, Wood wanted the Mr. Olympia contest to travel overseas every 4-5 years but the Covid-19 pandemic ruined those plans. For now, he intends to keep the Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas.
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“Our intentions are yes, to stay in Las Vegas. I’d like to stay in Las Vegas permanently, I’d love to stay at Resorts World for a long period of time. Of course, you never know exactly what’s going to happen, you never say never to anything. But when I first bought the Olympia, one of the things I really wanted to do was to every four years maybe five years, take the Olympia out and travel with it somewhere.”
“We have looked into a number of things but that was the goal, but that was pre-Covid and Covid hit and kind of knocked everything out. Before we can start doing that, I would like to develop a semi-permanent home in Las Vegas somewhere.”
According to Jake Wood, hosting the Mr. Olympia Weekend at The Sphere in Las Vegas is a ‘dream’ and not a goal. He specified that the venue alone would cost $12 million, more than what the organization makes in revenue each year.
“I loved it [UFC at the Sphere in Las Vegas]. I’ve said this in the past, having Olympia there is what I call a dream. It’s not a goal it’s a dream. Dreams are not always possible.
Goals are something, when I set a goal, that’s something we are going to do one way or another but a dream, listening to what Dana White has said and knowing what I have found out directly from The Sphere myself, we’re looking at easily $12 million worth of sunk costs just to be there.”
The only way it’d be possible is if Wood essentially donated $10 million to make it happen.
“We don’t even generate that much revenue in a year at all, period,” adds Jake Wood. “Basically, it’d just be me donating $10 million or so to bodybuilding. I can’t do that. I can do a lot but I can’t do that.”
As for what to expect at the 2024 Mr. Olympia, Wood says the Resorts World hotel is a much better space and he believes there will be approximately 360 athletes competing over the historic weekend.
“We found Resorts World. And they have an entirely different attitude [than other venues], they have very much the attitude of the New Orleans, all the good things of New Orleans and a lot more. It’s a much better space,” shares Jake Wood. “We are plotting forward.”
“I haven’t seen the last projections but right now I think the maximum possible number is 360-ish [expected competitors at the 2024 Mr. Olympia] or 354 or 355, yeah. If we land a little south of that number it’s not going to be that much.”
He also touched on the danger of judges who prioritize conditioning, adding that it can become a health and risk issue.
“Conditioning is always an issue for me. Sometimes, I think we have too much stress on condition, in my opinion. That is the only area where you can really run into something that I would prefer to stay away from. Same for the Men too, it doesn’t matter. It’s a health issue, it’s a risk issue.”
“I speak for myself, that’s something I would prefer. I want good conditioning, good conditioning on stage, but you don’t need to see shredded glutes in Women’s Bodybuilding. It’s unhealthy, it’s difficult. It creates situations that I wish we wouldn’t have.”
He believes conditioning is the lazy way to judge a bodybuilding show. Instead, Wood argues that the emphasis should be on shape first, then size, and conditioning.
“If you talk to any, I won’t say any judge, but a lot of judges, when they ask, what are you looking at on stage, what are you looking for? And they’re going to tell you conditioning size and shape,” says Wood. “Everything is conditioning, size, and shape, yeah, I get it but I much rather see the emphasis more about shape, size, and then conditioning.”
“Conditioning is the lazy way to judge,” adds Wood.
Wood has long advocated for interventions to make the sport safer. Following the death of Women’s Bodybuilding competitor Alena Hatvani-Kosinova, Wood called for changes. He’s also considered a doctor’s clearance to compete at the Mr. Olympia contest to ensure safer practices.
The 2024 Mr. Olympia is set to deliver non-stop bodybuilding action that you won’t want to miss. Fitness Volt will have live coverage of the event and previews leading into the sport’s biggest celebration of the year!
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