Why Was 1975’s Mr. Olympia Held in South Africa?

The 1975 Mr. Olympia is known for many happenings in the history of bodybuilding, the genesis of Pumping Iron, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s sixth Mr. Olympia win, and his retirement announcement. Maybe, owing to such occurrences, many might not have discussed a specific factor about the 1975 event.

The fact that it was held in South Africa. While many leading sports events like the World Cup and the Olympics were not held in apartheid South Africa that year, Joe Weider’s Mr. Olympia organized its first international event in Pretoria, South Africa. But why did the Weider brothers take such a call? 

The chance to expand internationally

Joe and Ben Weider started the Mr. Olympia contest in 1965 to allow the best bodybuilders worldwide to compete for cash prizes. Joe Weider invited Arnold Schwarzenegger to participate in the event, and the Austrian Oak reigned the stage from 1970 to 1975. So, for its 10th Anniversary, the Weider brothers decided to organize the event in a foreign country. Another stimulating factor for the idea was that Mr. Universe, another prestigious bodybuilding event, hosted an international competition in 1972, and Mr. Olympia could not be seen lagging behind. However, the decision did lead to some specualtions and backlash as well.

The controversies that followed

The Apartheid government of South Africa segregated its citizens based on color, offering whites complete freedom while blacks were deprived of basic rights. So, when South Africa was banned from hosting elite international competitions, and still managed to host Mr. Olympia, it drove speculations that about Weider brothers being paid hefty amounts, “several hundred thousand dollars” to lure the IFBB. 

To play down their choice of venue, Ben Weider had to publish articles in Muscle Builder to prove how his decision was made for the better. The brothers have even noted that they acquired a written assurance from the South African government that the apartheid law does not apply to the competing bodybuilders. However, there were issues once the bodybuilders landed. Bill Grant, a bodybuilder trainer, recalled how black bodybuilders were given separate buses, and Arnold Schwarzenegger had to intervene so that they could travel together. However, they were accommodated in the host hotel Burgers Park, which is a deviation from the Apartheid regime.

The Blank Panther effect

The federation’s vice president, Serge Nubret, had a few conditions when deciding on the IFBB induction of South Africa. One of them was to elect a black person as the next president of the South African Bodybuilding Federation. However, the Weider brothers made the country a part of IFBB without heading to the Black Panther’s requests.

Even Nubret’s participation in the event turned out to be a bit dramatic that year. The Blank Panther had his differences with the Weider brothers. When he arrived in South Africa to compete, he was informed he couldn’t compete in the Mr. Olympia citing that he was featured in pornographic films in France, which could drastically affect the sport’s growing image. After the IFBB executive Council consultation, it was decided that Nubret had to be disqualified from participating that year. 

Read More: Arnold Schwarzenegger vs Lou Ferrigno- Decoding Physical Attributes of Two Colossal Bodybuilders

But the African bodybuilder quashed the claims, citing his 25-film career, which never involved any obscene films. The hurt Black Panther got together all the non-white bodybuilders to protest against the decision by a mass boycott of the event. The council later allowed Nubret to participate, but he couldn’t claim the title because he had already lost 12 days of training. Eventually, Arnold Schwarzenegger won his sixth trophy and announced his retirement. Many believe that Arnie competed only for starring in Pumping Iron. Not to miss, the auditorium was filled to witness their bodybuilding icons pose down for both IFBB events, Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia. 

While the Pumping Iron movie captured the onstage and backstage stories of the bodybuilding community in 1975, the writer and director never touched the sensitive and controversial topic of changed venues. The film later catapulted the sport and Arnie into fame, while the controversy about the venue faded over time.