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Home » Bodybuilding

King Kamali Says Hadi Choopan Could Be Suspended After 2023 Olympia: ‘Manion Is Not Happy’ 

"I think there might be some suspension or something that's going to come down," Kamali shared.

Written by Doug Murray

Published on8 November, 2023 | 11:18 AM EDT

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King Kamali

King Kamali (Photo Credit: YouTube: RxMuscle Instagram: @moriaphoto)

The 2023 Mr. Olympia show ended with Derek Lunsford winning gold in a close contest against Hadi Choopan. Shortly after the title switched hands, Choopan abruptly stormed off the stage. In a recent Rx Muscle YouTube video, King Kamali (real name: Shahriar Kamali) revealed that Jim Manion, the IFBB Pro League President, is considering a suspension of Choopan for unsportsmanlike behavior.
 
There’s been a lot to unpack since Derek Lunsford etched his name into the Sandow trophy. Shortly after his controversial title win, his Instagram account was suspended twice (for reasons still unknown), and he and his family have received threats to their safety. Despite the fallout, Lunsford continues to brush it off while underlining the comradery between himself and his teammate, 2023 Olympia runner-up Choopan.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Derek Lunsford (@dereklunsford_)

 
With fans in an uproar over the results, Hadi Choopan took to his Instagram to set the record straight. He told his audience that family has “nothing to do with competition” and that he respected the brotherhood formed between himself and Lunsford. 
 
And now this saga appears to be far from over as King Kamali revealed snippets of a private conversation he had with IFBB Pro League President Jim Manion, which highlighted the organization’s disapproval of Choopan’s behavior. 

Kamali Says IFBB Pro League Considering Hadi Choopan Suspension, ‘Manion Is Not Happy’ 

According to King Kamali, Jim Manion is “not happy” and “there might be some suspension or something that’s going to come down” for Hadi Choopan. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hadi Choopan | هادی چوپان (@hadi_choopan)

“I talked to Bob [Jim Manion] this morning. We had a nice conversation talking about all this stuff. That’s one of the subjects that came up, Manion is not happy. I’m not going to go in-depth with the conversation, when Bob and I talk to each other, just like when me and you Dave talk to each other, but I can say, Jimmy is not happy. He’s not.

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“I think there might be some suspension or something that’s going to come down because if you don’t put your foot down in certain situations, you’re going to send a bad message,” said King Kamali. 

King Kamali Talks Derek Lunsford Fan Backlash and 2023 Mr. Olympia Aftermath 

Kamali started by apologizing to Derek Lunsford and his family on behalf of the Iranian people: 
 
I sincerely from the bottom of my heart want to apologize to Derek for the embarrassing, what these animals did and what they were doing to his Instagram and the messages that they sent and talking about his family and doing exactly what they did to Flex Lewis, they’re doing it to him. I’m sorry man. Iranians are really not like that, we’re not that fucked up. 
 
These are just animals that have nothing to do with their lives. All they want to do is just jump on the whole country bandwagon and say this is for our country, no it’s not, you are not representing our country so Derek, I sincerely apologize man, that’s not us,” explained King Kamali. 
After posting a picture of Derek Lunsford with the caption ‘And New,’ Kamali received threats to himself and his family.  

“They’re angry — this is the confusing part — they are angry at me because I wasn’t upset that Hadi didn’t win. I wasn’t going crazy and I wasn’t doing this. All I did, all I did, with all the winners from Men’s Physique to the women, I was taking their pictures and putting them in my story and saying ‘And new or and still.’ That’s it. I would say and new and a picture or and still. 
 
I put Derek’s picture up and literally 10 seconds later, ‘We’re going to come kill you, go fuck your mother, I’m going to come after your children,’ just because I put Derek’s picture up. This is the problem with what’s going on, it’s making us look bad. It’s making the country look bad.” 
Conversely, Kamali admitted that he received several DMs from respectful Iranian fans. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Derek Lunsford (@dereklunsford_)

“Here’s the positive aspect of it, I got so many DMs from so many people apologizing, saying ‘King, we’re really sorry. Please make sure when you go tonight, when you talk out, you say that there’s a lot of us that are embarrassed that they did things like this,'” said King Kamali. 
 
“It’s disgusting, you don’t talk about the man’s wife.” 

Kamali & Lee Priest Examine Derek Lunsford’s ‘Pointy Lats’ 

Next, Kamali explained the reason for the ‘lumps’ on the front of Lunsford’s lats, which were pointed out by fans online and by those who watched the pay-per-view. 
 
“Site injections [are what caused the lumps in his lats]. For fuck’s sake, this is Rx Muscle, this is Chris Aceto, Dave Palumbo, King Kamali, and Lee Priest – we don’t bullshit here. We talk about it. When you’re that level, I’m going to use myself, not even going to talk about anybody else, when you’re at that level, I ran out of spots to hit myself! There was no place else to hit!” 
 
“That is nuts [injecting front of the lats]. Totally agree, that does look a little bit strange but who knows, I don’t know his protocol. Who knows what the hell was going on but that right there, yes. They can get angry about that. But I would come back to the Iranian fans and say Hadi’s shoulders last year looked a little bit messed up too. So what are you going to do.”
Lee Priest believes the lumps on Lunsford’s lats should be given the same attention as Choopan’s shoulders and Mamdouh Elssbiay’s legs have in the past.
 
 “We discussed Hadi’s shoulders, we discussed Ramy’s legs, if you want to discuss it, discuss it, the people that are wondering where that’s gone [Lee Priest’s video on Lunsford’s lats] that video was taken down for bullying,” shared Lee Priest. 

Kamali isn’t the only bodybuilding veteran recapping the drama-fueled 2023 Mr. Olympia conclusion. Jay Cutler took to a recent Cutler Cast Podcast with Milos Sarcev to give their take on Hadi Choopan walking off stage. Sarcev emphasized that politics have no place in bodybuilding and had no problem with Choopan’s actions. 

Even though the 2023 Mr. Olympia show is in the books, the event’s results are still shaking up the community. If Choopan is suspended, it would be a massive hit to the potential 2024 Mr. Olympia lineup next October. 

RELATED: Nick Walker Congratulates Derek Lunsford on 2023 Olympia Win, Reveals He Suffered Grade 1 Calf Tear

Watch the full YouTube video from RxMuscle below: 

Experience the thrill of the 2024 Mr. Olympia with our complete coverage! From prejudging highlights and event recaps to expert analysis and results, find it all at our Olympia hub: FitnessVolt.com/olympia. Follow our Live Blog for real-time event updates. Stay tuned for every moment of the action!


If you have any questions about this news, please feel free to contact Doug by leaving a comment below.

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Doug Murray

Doug Murray

Doug Murray is a News Editor for Fitness Volt with a focus on strength sports, including bodybuilding and powerlifting. His experience covering diverse sports, including MMA, for publications like Sportskeeda and CagesidePress informs his in-depth reporting.

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