Now bringing upwards of 15,000 athletes from more than 80 countries to Columbus each year, the Arnold Sports Festival is one of the world’s premier athletic events.
It’s come a long way from its late 1980s origins, spearheaded by central Ohio resident Jim Lorimer alongside festival namesake Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Arnold returns to Columbus March 2-5 for its 35th go ’round.
Lorimer died in November at age 96. And though Schwarzenegger has long been a household name in the U.S. and around the world, Lorimer had also made a name for himself prior to the inaugural festival in 1989. In fact, he was well known both across the country and in the world of sports even before meeting Schwarzenegger.
A huge advocate for Title IX and women’s sports, Lorimer founded the Ohio Track Club Girls Team and served as secretary and chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee for Women’s Track & Field in the 1960s. He then helped run several sporting events, including the 1970 world weightlifting championships, at a time when Schwarzenegger was leaving his mark on the sport.
After Lorimer convinced him to compete in the championships, Schwarzenegger won the Mr. Universe title in London, then flew back to Columbus to win the Mr. World title that same year.
Impressed by how well Lorimer ran the championships, Schwarzenegger told him he wanted to partner with him after he was done competing. So when Schwarzenegger completed his final competition in 1975, the two joined forces and began their decades-long partnership.
Over the years, guided by Lorimer and Schwarzenegger, the festival has grown to include an ever-increasing list of new events. Originally known as the Arnold Classic, the festival underwent a name change in 2006 to reflect its vast spectrum of sporting events.
Jim Lorimer accomplished many things in his life outside of the world of sports.
Before entering the world of bodybuilding, Lorimer attended law school at Penn State University in Carlisle, Pennsylvania before entering the FBI. He also worked for Nationwide Insurance for 37 years and had a large presence in the Worthington community. Over the course of 52 years, Lorimer served as the mayor, vice mayor and a city councilman, and earned the title of Poet Laureate for the speeches he gave at local community events.
While it originally centered on bodybuilding and strongman/strongwoman competition, the festival now hosts more than 50 sports and other attractions. These events range from arm
wrestling and weightlifting to foosball and baton twirling.
On top of that, over the past 12 years, organizers have started additional festivals in South America, Africa, Australia and, most recently, the United Kingdom.
Lorimer stepped down in 2021, with Brian Powers taking over as executive director of the festival. At the time of the transition, the festival was struggling to recover after having to shut down in 2020 due to the pandemic. It has since slowly started to bring back events and competitors.
The Arnold has had quite an impact on not only the bodybuilding community, but also Columbus. According to Experience Columbus, the 2022 festival welcomed 80,000 unique visitors, only 10,000 of whom were athletes. These visitors generated roughly $20.5 million for the local economy.
With so many people coming in, the festival fills much of the Greater Columbus Convention Center and Ohio Expo Center. In 2019, all 1.7 million square feet of the convention center were used to house booths, stages and practice spaces for the competitors.
In addition to people, the festival also brings international attention, making Columbus more appealing for other sporting events, meetings and conventions.
Those interested in seeing the full schedule or buying tickets for the four-day event can check out the organization’s website at www.arnoldsports.com.
Rachel Karas is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at rkaras@cityscenemediagroup.com.
