“Better Than Ever”: Shaquille O’Neal Feels Elated as Bodybuilding Competition Returns After 11 Years of Absence

Earlier, bodybuilding was considered a sport for youngsters as the muscle quality is better while being young. And it could be difficult for an older bodybuilder to compete against the younger ones. But in 1994, former Mr. Olympia President, Joe Weider, introduced a whole new concept of Master Olympia. In Master Olympia, older bodybuilders compete against each other with certain criteria.

Notably, Master Olympia ran from 1994 to 2003 and then only once in 2012. Dexter Jackson is the reigning Master Olympia champion. However, in 2023, under the presidency of Jake Wood, Master Olympia is making a comeback. And the NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, aka Shaq, felt ecstatically excited with the return of the bodybuilding competition.

Ultimate bodybuilding competition returns

Mr. Olympia is the ultimate bodybuilding competition that a bodybuilder aims to win. No doubt about that. But for older bodybuilders, Master Olympia is their dream title. However, it wasn’t in existence for the last 11 years. It is making a comeback much better and bigger in 2023.

When Mr. Olympia revealed the eventual information about the event, Shaquille O’Neal shared his joy by sharing the post on his Instagram story. One can see the announcing cover page has written “Bigger Better Than Ever” on it. According to the post, Master Olympia will take place from the 25th to the 27th of August in 2023. Moreover, Master Olympia will include all 10 divisions of the IFBB pro league.

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Apart from this, the post also revealed the venue of the most awaited bodybuilding competition. Per Mr. Olympia’s official page, BTArena, Cluj Napoca, Romania is the decided venue for the upcoming mega contest. Furthermore, let’s have a look at the given criteria for competing in Master Olympia 2023.

Everything you need to know about the criteria to qualify for participation 

As the competition has to be fair for the participants, they must fulfill the provided criteria by the administration. According to the Instagram post, the criteria to be fulfilled to participate in the competition are as follows:

• The bodybuilder must be above 40 years of age to compete in Wellness, Bikini, Fitness, Men’s Physique, Men’s Classic Physique, Women’s Physique, and Figure.
• The bodybuilder must be above 45 years of age for Men’s Bodybuilding, Men’s 212, and Women’s Bodybuilding.

• For participation, the application has to be sent to mastersolympia@mrolympia.com
• The application letter has to include the athlete’s background, such as age, country, and titles. competitive history, including the last show the athlete, took part in and social media accounts.

10th April 2023 is another important date for the athletes to remember, as it is the final date to apply for participation. And the list of invitations will be out by 24th April 2023. 

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Although Jake Wood has told about the comeback of Master Olympia, earlier, the announcement has ignited a spark of excitement among the fans. How do you feel about the comeback of the ultimate bodybuilding face-off? Leave your comments below.