As this year’s Mr. Olympia was wrapping up, the world of bodybuilding saw an exciting turn of events. While many reigning champions continued with their legacy by winning another title, there were other categories that saw the unfortunate dethroning of the reigning champions. There were some truly disappointed faces in the crowd and on the stage, Hadi Choopan being one of them. 

As the results of this year’s open division were announced, many fans were shocked when it was revealed that Hadi Choopan did not secure the first position. While some of the fans were satisfied with the results, Choopan seemed angry and rushed off the stage, which led to controversies amidst the fitness and bodybuilding industry. But with all that noise around Choopan’s walkout, there’s one little thing people might be overlooking. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. 

Controversies revolving around Mr. Olympia 2023

After Nick Walker announced his unfortunate hamstring injury and thereafter refrainment from the contest, fans were left in a frenzy over this year’s predictions for Mr. Olympia. On the d-day, fans were astounded when they witnessed Derek Lunsford’s monstrous back muscles. While many predict that Lunsford won the contest because of his rear look, Choopan did not appear satisfied with the results. Despite being under the same coach, Hadi took the loss negatively and stormed off the stage. 

While the exact reason behind him storming off still remains unknown, he later posted an Instagram post congratulating the winners. However, Derek Lunsford has been facing troubles since then. He confessed in an Instagram post that he has been receiving threats from fans ever since he won the title. 

Watch This Story: Pro Bodybuilder Derek Lunsford Beat Hadi Choopan Fair and Square Followed on the 2023 Mr. Olympia Official Results

This is not the first time that bodybuilders were not satisfied with the results of Mr. Olympia. Let’s take a look at five such instances when the athletes felt that they had been robbed of their title. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s seventh Olympia win: Mr. Olympia 1980

Without a doubt, the most controversial event in the history of the sport was 1980’s Mr. Olympia. As Schwarzenegger had already retired from the sport and was working on the highly anticipated ‘Conan: The Barbarian,’ there was no chance of him competing that year. However, at the eleventh hour, Schwarzenegger decided to compete in the contest and stepped on the Olympia stage. This infuriated many bodybuilding veterans, like Frank Zane and Mike Mentzer. Later, Mike announced his retirement and openly protested against IFBB. He decided to not stay part of the organization. 

Franco Columbu’s Shocking Win: Mr. Olympia 1981

The year following the 1980’s controversy, many big names like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Frank Zane, Mike Mentzer, and Boyer Coe announced their retirement from the sport. But the Austrian Oak’s best friend Franco Columbu decided to step on the stage despite his scary leg injury back in 1977 at the World’s Strongest Man contest. There was a lot of drama at this contest too after Columbu was announced the winner despite being his lower body being out of proportion compared to his upper body. Many bodybuilding veterans and fans still argue that Tom Platz and Danny Padilla deserved the title much more than Columbu. 

Lee Priest vs. the IFBB

Lee Priest frequently talks about his views regarding IFBB’s behavior towards athletes. Priest was one of the most unfortunate ones who faced the wrath of IFBB and faced a lifetime ban by the federation. After competing in a rival show that was organized by Wayne DeMilia, Lee was first banned for a year. After protesting against this, his ban was further extended for another year. However, when the ban was lifted, Priest decided not to compete, which infuriated the IFBB and banned him for life.

Sergio Oliva vs. The Weider brothers

Back in 1970, Arnold Schwarzenegger won his first Mr. Olympia title and then continued to win the title for the next couple of years. However, the year was unfortunate for Oliva as the three-time Mr. Olympia winner felt discriminated against. He stated, “I was beaten by the judges and the Joe Weider IFBB organization. Not by Arnold.” 

The controversy did not end here. Next year, Oliva was not allowed to compete. A short while ago, his son Sergio Oliva Junior explained that Joe Weider played a dirty trick on his father. Joe allowed Sergio Oliva to guest pose so that people are encouraged to buy tickets, on the other hand, Weider prevented an Arnold-Oliva faceoff. “It was very smart”, Sergio Oliva Junior admitted. “Arnold won the Olympia and my dad was suspended.”  

Robbery of Mr. Olympia 1997

Mr. Olympia 1997 is considered one of the most controversial contests ever. As Dorian Yates was announced victorious. Many still argue that Nasser El Sonbaty, who came second at the contest, deserved to win because of his clearly better arms compared to Yates. Unfortunately, Nasser could not manage to lift the Sandow next year as well, despite Yates’ absence from the show as Ronnie Coleman won his first title that year. 

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The sport of bodybuilding is not like any other sport. There is no clear winner and the results purely rely on judges’ views and scorings. Due to the fact that bodybuilding is a subjective sport, fans having different opinions and not being satisfied by a particular athlete’s victory is not very rare. The IFBB and Mr. Olympia LLC are working their best towards making the organization as fair as possible. What are your views on this? Let us know in the comments.