“It Is Not a Sport”: 3X Mr. Olympia Frank Zane Blatantly Rejected Talks About “Bodybuilding Getting Into the Olympic” in 2019

Frank Zane is a notable and well-respected figure in bodybuilding. During his time, the three-time Mr. Olympia shifted the focus of the competition from mass to aesthetics.

With the changing times, like all others, a lot has changed in this industry as well. From the judgment process to the areas to include the competition. The 80-year-old former bodybuilder shared his opinions about the same.

What does Frank Zane think of pro-level?

In an interview with bodybuilding.com, a veteran bodybuilder shared his views on some of the recent developments in the bodybuilding industry. When asked for his opinion on the judgment process of pro-level, ‘The Chemist’ shared that the judgments can always be debatable.

According to him, there are no set criteria for judgment and the results will always depend on the set of judges. He said, “The whole thing about bodybuilding is you could always argue that what it really comes down to is it is a matter of opinion and a value judgment. The judges vote for what they like, what they prefer. And what they prefer tends to be what they look like or what they want to look like. You could have entirely different results with different panels of judges.”

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Should bodybuilding be a part of the Olympics?

Furthermore, Zane disagrees with people demanding bodybuilding to be included in the Olympics. He doesn’t consider bodybuilding to be a sport. Commenting on the debates surrounding the issue, he said, “There is no objective standard and that’s why it (bodybuilding) is not a sport. That is why, in my book, it never will be one. This talk about bodybuilding getting into the Olympic games is nonsense. It’s not a sport. A sport is something you can have objective criteria for who the winner is.”

He further explained his point, citing an example of another activity–gymnastics. He stated that even in gymnastics; they judge the contestants based on certain criteria, such as form or execution. However, in bodybuilding, there are no predefined criteria. It all depends on one’s development.

For the unversed, since the early 2000s, the IFBB has been attempting to get bodybuilding recognized as an Olympic sport. In 2000 it attained IOC membership, however, it still needs the approval to be demonstrated at the Olympics. Only after the approval, one can consider it a full contest.

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Furthermore, the debates surrounding the matter have taken a controversial turn since many, including bodybuilders like Frank Zane, argue that bodybuilding is not a sport.