Mr Olympia and the Olympia Weekend

Mr Olympia 2008 in Las Vegas

Joe Weider's internationally renowned 2008 Olympia Weekend [Mr. Olympia, Ms. Olympia, Fitness and Figure Olympia] will be held at the Orleans Arena September 25 – 28, 2008. This competition is one of the most prestigious contests in the world of bodybuilding.

Mr. Olympia is an international bodybuilding competition held annually by the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB). Winning is considered to be the highest accolade in the professional bodybuilding field. There is a parallel contest, the Ms. Olympia, for female bodybuilders. In addition, the Fitness Olympia and Figure Olympia are held for fitness and figure competitors, respectively. This event draws fitness enthusiasts from all over the country to watch these amazing powerhouse bodybuilder's battle for each title.

Defending champion, and local Las Vegas resident, Jay Cutler, competes this year to keep his Mr. Olympia title from bodybuilding legend Ronnie Coleman again. Other competitors include Victor Martinez, Gustavo Badell and Melvin Anthony. Along with the men, Ms. Olympia Iris Kyle, Fitness Olympia Champion Adela Garcia, and Figure Olympia Champion Jenny Lynn will all return to defend their titles. Other female competitors include Da Silva, Regiane; Greenwood, Tracey; Jane Hendershott.

The schedule of Olympia Weekend events held at the Orleans Hotel and Casino are below:

THURSDAY - September 25

1 PM
Olympia Press Conference (Mr. Olympia Only)
Orleans Hotel - Open to The Public

7 PM
Meet the Olympians
Orleans Hotel - Mardi Gras Ballroom
VIP Ticket Holders & Platinum Members Only

8 PM
Meet the Olympians
Orleans Hotel - Mardi Gras Ballroom (click for map)
Free admission/Open to Public

FRIDAY - September 26

10 AM - 5 PM
Olympia Expo
Las Vegas Convention Center - South Hall
Tickets: $15
(Free shuttle buses will run between the Convention Center and Orleans Hotel all day.)

10 AM
Olympia Sport Martial Arts Championships - Judging
Las Vegas Convention Center - South Hall
Free with your Expo Ticket

11 AM
Women's Judging: Fitness, Figure, Ms. Olympia
Las Vegas Convention Center - South Hall
VIP Ticket Holder & Platinum Member- Reserved Seating / General Admission - Standing Room Only

2 PM
FLEX Magazine's Bikini Model Search - Judging
Las Vegas Convention Center - South Hall
Free with your Expo ticket

7 PM
Fitness Olympia Finals, Ms. Olympia Finals and Mr. Olympia Judging
Orleans Arena
Tickets - $50*, $75*, $125*, $150*

SATURDAY - September 27

10 AM - 5 PM
Olympia Expo
Las Vegas Convention Center - South Hall
Tickets: $15
(Free shuttle buses will run between the Convention Center and Orleans Hotel all day.)

10 AM
Olympia Sport Martial Arts Championships
Las Vegas Convention Center - South Hall
Free with your Expo ticket

10:30 AM
Olympia: 202 Showdown
Las Vegas Convention Center - South Hall
VIP Ticket Holder & Platinum Member - Reserved Seating / General Admission - Standing Room Only

11 AM
Olympia's Boot Camp Challenge
Las Vegas Convention Center - South Hall
Free with your Expo ticket

12:30 PM
Bodybuilding.com Supplement Awards
Las Vegas Convention Center - South Hall
Free with your Expo ticket

1 PM
FLEX Magazine's Bikini Model Search - Finals
Las Vegas Convention Center - South Hall
Free with your Expo ticket

3 PM
Olympia's Powerlifting Super Show
Las Vegas Convention Center - South Hall
Free with your Expo ticket

7 PM
Figure Olympia Finals and Mr. Olympia Finals
Orleans Arena
Tickets - $50*, $75*, $100*, $125*, $150*, $200*

11 PM
Olympia Victory Gala
Orleans Hotel - Mardi Gras Ballroom
Gold and Silver VIP Ticket Holders Only

SUNDAY - September 28

11 AM
Olympia Superstar Seminar
Orleans Hotel - Mardi Gras Ballroom
Free to VIP Ticket Holders & Platinum Member or $15 General Admission

Qualifying for Mr. Olympia

All Mr. Olympia competitors must meet the qualifying criteria. Possible methods of qualifying are:

• * Previous Mr. Olympia winner (but if more than 5 years have passed IFBB approval is required)
• * Top 6 finalist from previous year's Mr. Olympia
• * Top 6 finalist from same year's Arnold Classic
• * Top 5 finalist from same year's New York Men’s Professional (previously the Night of the Champions)
• * Top 3 finalist from any other competition in the I.F.B.B professional tour held during the subsequent year prior to the Mr. Olympia
• * The winner of the Masters Professional World Championships

On top of this, the event organizer can nominate one competitor, who has not qualified by other means, as a “special invitee”. Schwarzenegger was able to enter into the 1980 Mr. Olympia contest because of this rule and the fact that he had won the Mr. Olympia contest 5 years prior.

2008 participants of the Olympia Weekend

Mr Olympia contestant who have already qualified in 2008 (their last years qualifications are behind their names):

• 1 Jay Cutler USA 2007 Mr. Olympia 1st place
• 2 Victor Martinez USA 2007 Mr. Olympia 2nd place
• 3 Dexter Jackson USA 2007 Mr. Olympia 3rd place
• 4 Ronnie Coleman USA 2007 Mr. Olympia 4th place
• 5 Dennis Wolf Germany 2007 Mr. Olympia 5th place
• 6 Melvin Anthony USA 2008 Mr. Olympia 6th place
• 7 Phil Heath USA 2008 Ironman 1st place
• 8 Gustavo Badell Puerto Rico 2008 Ironman 2nd place
• 9 Moe Elmoussawi New Zealand 2008 Ironman 3rd place
• 10 Silvio Samuel Spain 2008 Ironman Pro 4th place
• 11 Johnnie Jackson USA 2008 Ironman Pro 5th place
• 12 Kai Greene USA 2008 Arnold 3rd place
• 13 Branch Warren USA 2008 Arnold 4th place
• 14 Toney Freeman USA 2008 Australia 4th place
• 15 Sergey Shelestov Russia 2008 New Zealand Pro 4th place
• 17 Kevin English USA 2008 New York Pro 2nd
• 18 Ronny Rockel Germany 2008 New York Pro 3rd
• 19 David Henry USA 2008 New York Pro 4th
• 20 Craig Richardson USA 2008 New York Pro 5th
• 21 Leo Ingram USA 2008 Houston Pro 3rd
• 22 Dennis James Germany 2008 Tampa Pro 2nd
• 23 Abiad Fouad Canada 2008 Europa Pro 3rd
• 24 Darrem Charles Trinidad 2008 Atlantic City Pro 3rd

Ms Fitness Olympia
The following athletes have qualified for this competition:

• Da Silva, Regiane Germany
• Ducan, Nicole
• Fletcher, Heidi USA
• Garcia, Adela USA
• Greenwood, Tracey USA
• Hendershott, Jen USA
• Johnson, Tanji USA
• Lohre, Julie USA
• Meteraud, Shannon USA
• Palmer, Julie USA
• Riley, Erin USA
• Scheideler, Kim USA
• Simons, Stacy USA
• Warren, Trish USA
• Wilkins, Nicole USA

Ms Olympia
And here is the list of the female Ms Olympia participants.

• Armbrust, Heather USA
• Auckland , Lisa USA
• Ball, Nicole Canada
• Bramwell, Debbie USA
• Cadeau, Dayana Canada
• Jennings, Rosemary USA
• Kyle-Floyd, Iris USA
• Larson, Klaudia Sweden
• LeFrancois, Cathy Canada
• Oriquen-Garcia, Yaxeni Venezuela
• Paparone, Jeannie USA
• Pariso, Betty USA
• Raganot, Brenda USA
• Sedia, Jennifer
• USA
• Smith, Sherry USA