Arnold

This is the statue of Arnold Schwarzenegger. It stands in front of the Columbus Convention Centre, home of the Arnold Sports Festival, in Columbus, Ohio.

You may ask why is this statue in Columbus? Arnold won his first USA professional title of 20 such pro titles in Columbus in 1970. He vowed when he won this title that he would come back one day to give back to the city of Columbus.

He did so, and in 1989 in partnership with local sports promoter Jim Lorimer, started the Arnold Classic professional bodybuilding contest for men. They are both still going strong and running this event, with Arnold now 70 and Jim now 91. 2018 will be the 30th anniversary of the event, and this special occasion is the main reasons I am here to do the video production for the DVDs.

That single contest from 1989 has transitioned into the Arnold Sports Festival, and from March 1-4 the festival celebrates with 75 different sports and events. It will attract 200,000 sports and fitness fans to watch 18,000 athletes compete in these 75 sporting events, including 17 Olympic events. The Fitness Expo will feature over 1000 booths.

The Amateur Arnold bodybuilding and fitness competition attracts 800 athletes from around the world. No wonder it is so hard to get a room here at this time of the year! A very good place to celebrate my 2000th blip.

My 2014 photo of Arnold in its original Columbus location can be seen at this link.
My 3rd March 2015 Arnie blip photo of him at the Convention centre, shows him in his original alignment, posing in the snow.