Arnold statue in Columbus

In March 2012, this 8-foot statue of Arnold Schwarzenegger was unveiled on the front lawn of Veterans Memorial in Columbus, Ohio.

The statue of the movie star, fitness icon and former California governor depicts Arnold during his bodybuilding heyday in the 1970s, and was installed in this location to commemorate Schwarzenegger’s ongoing commitment to the city of Columbus.

The first weekend in March each year marks the start of another Arnold Sports Festival with this event now in its 26th year. It is expected to bring 200,000 people to Columbus this weekend and pump more than $45 million into the local economy.

It has been my privilege to cover "The Arnold" 8 times over the past 14 years with this year being a very special and nostalgic occasion. Its home for all these years has been the wonderful Veterans Memorial Hall which sits behind this statue. Sadly this will be for the last time. The building will be torn down after the event and not replaced with a similar structure.

Bigger bronze.

Schwarzenegger said he was proud to have the statue installed at the center because it represents not only his long history with the city — he won his first Mr. World title on the Veterans stage in 1970 — but also because the building is dedicated to military veterans.

I stood in a light snow fall to take these photos of Arnold and it was only 26F today. By my standards that is freezing!

There is a huge Fitness Expo held as part of the Arnold Sports Festival, along with about 50 other sports. The whole event including the Arnold Classic finals will in future be held in the ballroom at the Columbus Convention Centre, right next to the Expo Halls.

Paladian has attended this event several times with me and hope she can make it back again with me next year. I am not a personal friend of Arnold but have known him since 1970. It is a great privilege to be associated with this event. There are over 800 entries in the Amateur Arnold Competition, with competitors coming in from around the world. The whole thing is massive.