Arnold Sports Festival: Daily highlights including Arnold Classic bodybuilding, powerlifting and more

Allison Ward, The Columbus Dispatch
·6 min read

After two years of cancellations and scaled-back events, the Arnold Sports Festival returns to Columbus on Thursday at a near pre-pandemic level.

All the bodybuilding, muscles and power lifts a spectator can handle will be on display for four days at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, Ohio Expo Center and several other venues across town.

It also means the return of some of the more unusual competitions, such as bodypainting, baton twirling and even arm wrestling.

The pole fitness championships will make their seventh appearance at the event this weekend.

"If you're looking for four days of entertainment, the Arnold has something for everyone," said Executive Director Brian Powers. "There's almost an endless amount to do."

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Making their debut this year, events such as medieval fighting and the controversial slap fighting championships are sure to draw crowds.

With athletes representing 64 countries as well as more than 1,000 vendor booths at the Arnold Expo, there's plenty to see.

"You can go to panels and see people you've admired all your life or you can be getting free stuff from vendors," Powers said. "You'll see the top athletes in the world in a number of sports. Even if you're not a fan of this stuff, you've got to see the Arnold once in your life."

If the jam-packed schedule is a bit overwhelming, here are some highlights to take in if you're thinking about attending the Arnold.

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Men's Bodybuilding competitors line up for judging at the start of the Arnold Classic Pose Down at the Arnold Sports Festival in 2019.
Men's Bodybuilding competitors line up for judging at the start of the Arnold Classic Pose Down at the Arnold Sports Festival in 2019.

What's happening Thursday at the Arnold Sports Festival?

· Amateur night: Amateurs in a variety of bodybuilding categories — fitness, bikini, men's physique and others — will take the mainstage at the Battelle Grand Ballroom at the convention center from noon to 8 p.m.

· Sports information: The Arnold Education sports conference with lectures and celebrity speakers kicks off Thursday evening. Andre Rush, the White House chef for four administrations who is widely known as "the strongest chef," will speak and sign books from 4 to 6 p.m. followed by a presentation, "Teamwork, fitness and martial arts for mental health," by UFC champion Frank Shamrock from 6 to 8 p.m.

Attendees navigate booths and vendors during the Arnold Fitness Expo in 2019.
Attendees navigate booths and vendors during the Arnold Fitness Expo in 2019.

Arnold Expo begins Friday

· All things sports: The popular Arnold Expo, with more than 1,000 vendor booths and demonstrations, begins Friday at the convention center. It will run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

· Table soccer: Foosball, which will be played throughout the festival, kicks off its competition. Competitors will play a number of matches from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. at the convention center.

· Skip a beat: The jump rope competition heats up as action starts at 10 a.m. at the convention center and runs through Sunday.

· Kilt wearers: The amateur Scottish Highland Games begins, as men and women will be competing in strength feats, including stone throwing and sheaf (throwing a weighted burlap sack for height.)

· Fundraising for kids: The Experience Arnold event raises money for the Columbus chapter of After-School All-Stars program for children that was founded by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The event runs from 6 to 10 p.m. at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, 300 W. Broad St.

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Saturday is championship day, Arnold Classic 2022 finals

· Fists of steel: The finals for arm wrestling will take place from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. after a weekend of bouts.

· Armor of steel: After events were canceled in 2020, medieval fighting finally makes its debut at the Arnold, starting at 10 a.m.. Roughly 100 competitors on teams from the United States, Canada and China will compete in a 5-on-5 Buhurt (tournament) using 14th-to-16th-century blunted armor and weapons.

During the Arnold Classic in 2020, Arnold Schwarzenegger addresses the audience during the finals.
During the Arnold Classic in 2020, Arnold Schwarzenegger addresses the audience during the finals.

· Smackdown: Also new to the Arnold this year, is the Slap Fighting Championships. Participants from across the world will take turns slapping each other until the other relents during the bouts, which will run from 2 to 5 p.m.. The event has come under scrutiny because Artur Walczak died last year during the PunchDown gala in Poland. Walczak, 46, was knocked out by a slap, hitting his head when he fell. The Polish autopsy report was confusing as to whether he died from the slap or from cracking his skull on the ground.

· Bodybuilding at its finest: The traditional Arnold Classic finals, upon which this entire festival is built, will take place from 7 to 10 p.m., with the best bodybuilders around competing for top prizes.

· A different kind of dancing: The PCS Champion Pro Pole Fitness Finals will feature the best pole fitness athletes in the world and all the finesse, strength and pageantry the event demands. The event will take place from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the convention center.

Arnold fun continues Sunday

· Spinning to victory: Baton twirling contests wrap up at the Ohio Expo Center, so come watch twirlers of all ages reach new heights starting at 8:30 a.m.

· Pumped to run: A regular running event, the Arnold 5K will step off near the Arnold statue at 9:15 a.m. and take participants around Downtown. Following that event, athletes from across the country will participate in the 5K Pump and Run during which they spend the morning bench pressing before running the race.

· Art as sport: Attendees at the Arnold Expo will be able to see a number of bodypainting designs that were entered in the bodypainting competition. Artists used the theme "Barbarians and Warriors."

· Putting out fires: The Arnold will host the World's Strongest Firefighter competition for the first time from 2 to 4 p.m.at the convention center. During the competitions, qualifying firefighters from around the country will compete in feats of strength to determine the winner.

Arnold Schwarzenegger fist-bumps Highland Games athlete Emily Adams during a previous tour of his Arnold Sports Festival. After two years of scaling back or cancellations due to the pandemic, the Arnold returns in full force Thursday through Sunday.
Arnold Schwarzenegger fist-bumps Highland Games athlete Emily Adams during a previous tour of his Arnold Sports Festival. After two years of scaling back or cancellations due to the pandemic, the Arnold returns in full force Thursday through Sunday.

At a glance

The Arnold Sports Festival will take place Thursday through Sunday at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High St, Ohio Expo Center, Interstate 71 and East 17th Avenue, and a number of other venues around town. Events run from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday; 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. Masks will be required at the convention center and encouraged at the fairgrounds. Visit www.arnoldsportsfestival.com for information on various ticket packages and schedule of events.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Arnold Sports Festival, Arnold Classic 2022 schedule of events