It’s time for 35th edition of Arnold Sports festival, nation’s largest multi-sport festival where athletes from worldwide will compete at the main event, Arnold Classic, from Thursday, March 2, 2023, to Sunday, March 5, 2023, at Columbus Convention Center, Ohio.
Event Viewing info
Venue: Columbus Convention Center – Battelle Grand, Ohio
Date: Thursday, March 2, 2023 – Sunday, March 5, 2023
Streams Anywhere: Click Here
Where To Watch Arnold Classic 2023 Live:
Fans can live stream the event through the following streaming services and TV channels:
- SpecialOolaTV
- Official Strongman YouTube channel
- Fanmio (PPV)
2023 Arnold Classic Preview:
10,000+ athletes from 80+ countries participate in 50+ sports competitions in this mega event, with Arnold Classic as the main event. Talking about the competition, Arnold Classic Sports Festival is the second most popular fitness contest after Olympia.
At the same time when rising stars are participating in the competition, a few notable names like Derek Lunsford, who finished second in the 2022 Mr Olympia, Blessing Awodibu, and Michal “Križo” Križánek, have decided not to participate this year.
2018 and 2020 Arnold Classic winner William Blanc hopes to become the fifth bodybuilder to win the main event at least three times and join an elite list that includes five-time champion Dexter Jackson, four-time winner Flex Wheeler and three-time champions Kai Greene and Jay Cutler. Nick Walker, who finished third in the 2022 Olympia, is back for the first time since winning in his debut in Columbus in September 2021.
2023 Arnold Classic Categories:
There will be IFBB Pro League contests in seven divisions by the 2023 Arnold Sports Festival. Following is the list of 2023 Arnold Classic categories:
- Men’s Open Bodybuilding
- Men’s Physique
- Classic Physique
- Bikini
- Fitness
- Wellness
- Pro Wheelchair
2023 Arnold Classic Men’s Physique:
Talking about Arnold Classic Men’s Physique competition, ten IFBB Pro League competitors, including defending champion and Olympia champion Erin Banks, will be competing this time. Talking about defending champion Erin Banks first, after winning the previous edition, he upset three-time Olympia champion, Brandon Hendrickson. He won his first Olympia championship in Las Vegas in December 2022.
With that, he became the first Man to win the Arnold Classic Men’s Physique and Olympia Men’s Physique titles in the same season. Moving forward, the same is the case, and he is the favourite to win any competition he’ll play. Assuming he wins this year’s classic as well, he would join Andre Ferguson on the list of two-time winners, with the former winning this show three times (2018-2020).
Talking about the players that can give Banks some tough competition, Diogo Montenegro, who was third in the Arnold Classic event last year and Men’s Physique Olympia competition. Diogo will be competing for the third time at the Arnold Classic stage in his ninth season in the IFBB Pro League. Palmeira, in his fifth pro season, is another player who can give some serious competition to Erin Banks. He finished fifth in his debut Olympia debut.
2022 Arnold Classic runner-up Emanuel Hunter is another genuine contender to win Arnold Classic this year. Two weeks after the 2022 Arnold Classic competition, he won the 2022 Fitworld Pro. However, he fell to 12th at Olympia.
Roster: Erin Banks, Emanual Hunter, Antoine Weatherspoon, Diogo Montenegro, Juan Manuel Gomez, Carlos DeOliveira, Ali Bilal, Evan Ferreira Palmeira, Jahvair Mullings, Vitor Chaves
2023 Arnold Classic Arnold Classic Bodybuilding:
Brandon Curry on the 2022 Arnold Crown after a tough battle against William Bonac, with notable names like Steve Kuclo, Samson Dauda, Justin Rodriguez, and Brett Wilkin as other participants.
Roster: William Bonac, Shaun Clarida, Samson Dauda, Kamal Wlgargni, Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay, Justin Rodriguez, Nick Walker, Akim Williams, Chinedu Andrew Obiekea, Patrick Moore
Arnold Classic 2023 Men’s Open:
Two-time (2018 and 2020) Arnold Classic champion William Bonac is coming to the tournament after finishing ninth in the Olympia. However, he was second in the previous edition and is considered the hot favourite to win this year, and if he does manage to win, he will join Jay Cutler and Kai Greene as a three-time Arnold Classic champion. Regarding the list, Dexter Jackson has won the most (five), and Flex Wheeler, who will be honoured this weekend, has four.
However, Samson Dauda, who will be making his Arnold Classic debut this weekend, is considered a favourite based on a recent Olympia, where he finished sixth in his opening Olympia debut.
Roster: William Bonac, Samson Dauda, Shaun Clarida, Akim Williams, Blessing Awodibu, Charles Griffin, Justin Rodriguez, Kamal Elgargni
2023 Arnold Classic Physique:
Talking about Arnold Classic Physique, Ramon “Dino” Rocha Queiroz topped the category after finishing second in Columbus 2022 and at Classic Physique Olympia. Some notable names also participate in this category, and challenging battles will be witnessed.
Roster: Ramon Rocha Queiroz, Urs Kalecinski, Mike Sommerfeld, Alex Cambronero, Neil Currey, Mehdi Larijani, Kyrylo Khudaiev, Jason Brown, Courage Opara, Darwin Uribe
2023 Arnold Classic Men’s Wheelchair:
Regarding the Arnold Pro Wheelchair category, Gabriele Andriulli, who won the 2022 Arnold Pro Wheelchair title and five-time champion Harold Kelley are two of the genuine contenders among the ten contenders to take the title home.
Roster: Gabrielle Andriulli, Harold Kelley, Anand Arnold, Antoni Khadraoui, Bradley Betts, Bryan Williams, James Berger, Tim Caldwell, Tory Jones, Woody Belfort
Arnold Classic 2023 Bikini Category:
Lauralie Chapados returns to Columbus after winning against one of the most competitive line-ups in the festival’s history. This year’s lineup includes Bikini International and three Bikini Olympia champions. Maureen Blanquisco, who finished second in the 2022 Olympia, is coming to the competition after winning Olympia and will give some competition to Chapados. Two-time Bikini International and three-time Olympia Champion Ashley Kaltwasser and 2021 Bikini International and Olympia champion Jennifer Dorie will also be competing this weekend.
Roster: Lauralie Chapados, Maureen Blanquisco, Jennifer Dorie, Ashley Kaltwasser, India Paulino, Eli Fernandez, Ivanna Escandar, Ukachi Onyejiaka, Romina Basualdo, Phoebe Hagan
2023 Arnold Classic Wellness:
The top three from the previous edition have returned this year, with Isabelle Nunes as the favourite to win the Wellness International. Runner-Up Angela Borges and Sunny Andrews, who finished third, will give some tough competition.
Roster: Isabelle Nunes, Angela Borges, Kassandra Gillis, Yarishna Ayala, Rayane Fogel, Andrea Hrenko, Giselle Machado, Sunny Andrews, Marissa Andrews, Julia Chitarra
2023 Arnold Classic Fitness:
Ariel Khadr won the Fitness International title in 2022 for the first time and finished third at the Fitness Olympia. Like other categories, there is some fair competition in this category, with Jaclyn Baker, who finished third in Columbus 2022 and second at Fitness Olympia, considered a tough competitor. Moreover, 2022 Arnold Amateur champion Kristin Pope has been automatically invited to this category.
Roster: Ariel Khadr (defending champion), Oksana Grishina, Jaclyn Baker, Allison Kramer, Michelle Fredua-Mensah, Minna Pajulahti, Tamara Vahn, Terra Plum, Tiffany Chandler, Kristin Pope
2023 Arnold Classic Schedule:
Friday, March 3, 2023:
- Classic Physique – Prejudging (12:30 pm – 2:00 pm)
- Fitness International – Prejudging (12:30 pm – 2:00 pm)
- Wellness International – Prejudging (12:30 pm – 2:00 pm)
- Wellness International – Finals (7:00 pm – 9:30 pm)
- Fitness International – Finals (7:00 pm – 9:30 pm)
- Arnold Classic – Prejudging (7:00 pm – 9:30 pm)
- Classic Physique (7:00 pm – 9:30 pm)
Saturday, March 4, 2023
- Men’s Physique Prejudging from 10 pm to 12 pm
- Bikini International Prejudging from 10 pm to 12 pm
- Wellness International Prejudging from 10 pm to12 pm
- Pro Wheelchair Prejudging & Finals from 12 pm to 1 pm
- Men’s Physique Finals from 7 pm to 10 pm
- Bikini International Finals from 7 pm to 10 pm
- Wellness International Finals from 7 pm to10 pm
- Arnold Classic Finals from 7 pm to 10 pm
Arnold Classic 2023 Prize Money:
The 2023 Arnold Classic will receive a cash prize of $300,000, announced by Arnold Schwarzenegger, the co-founder of the festival and a seven-time Mr Olympia champion.
2023 Arnold Classic Tickets:
Those who want to enjoy the event live can purchase their tickets on-site or online from the official ticketing site ‘tix123.com’. Price of different categories of Arnold Classic tickets are as follows:
- Platinum VIP – $799.00
- Gold VIP – $449.00
- Silver VIP – $399.00
- Arnold Friday Night Finals (Reserved Premium Floor) – $75.00
- Arnold Friday Night Finals (Reserved Floor) – $60.00
- Arnold Friday Night Finals (Reserved Seating Balcony) – $49.99
- Arnold Saturday Night Finals (Reserved Premium Floor) – $100.00 (SOLD OUT)
- Arnold Saturday Night Finals (Reserved Floor) – $75.00
- Arnold Saturday Night Finals (Reserved Balcony) – $60.00 (SOLD OUT)
Children age 14 or under can enter for free with a paying adult, except for the events that require a separate ticket, like ‘Saturday Night Finals’, ‘Meet & Greet’, ‘Party, Showcase’, and ‘Strongman VIP and reserved seating.’
