COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Arnold Sports Festival –
the largest multi-sport event in the nation with more than
18,000 athletes competing in more than 45 sports and events, including
12 Olympic sports – will attract
175,000 health and fitness enthusiasts and sports fans to Columbus from
March 1-4.
The Arnold Sports Festival has grown each year since its inception in
1989 as the Arnold Classic, a one-day
professional men’s bodybuilding competition named in honor of
co-promoter and bodybuilding legend
Arnold Schwarzenegger. The annual sports and fitness celebration, which
will celebrate its 25th anniversary
in 2013, has grown into an international competition that draws athletes
from more than 80 nations.
Among the highlights in 2012 is the U.S. Olympic Teams Trials for
Weightlifting that will determine athletes
that represent the United States at the London Summer Olympics. The
Arnold Weightlifting Championships
will also feature the USA Weightlifting National Championships in 2012.
Other new events include the
Men’s Physique division in the popular Arnold Amateur bodybuilding
competition.
The 2012 Arnold Fitness EXPO will again
feature 700 booths of the latest in sports equipment, apparel
and nutrition and a stage that host unique, non-stop
competitions and entertainment that combine to make the Arnold
Fitness EXPO the heart of the Arnold Sports Festival.
The Arnold Sports Festival will be held at the Greater Columbus
Convention Center, Franklin County Veterans Memorial, Lifestyles
Communities Pavilion and several other premier venues. A free
shuttle service connects the various sites located in downtown
Columbus. |
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Many Arnold Sports Festival participants are youth competing
in events such as archery, gymnastics,
cheerleading, fencing and martial arts. The student-athletes compete for
eight $2,000 college scholarships
that are presented by the Columbus Rotary and the Arnold Sports
Festival. Also, events for seniors, Art at the
Arnold and the Arnold Sports Film Festival make the weekend appealing to
diverse audiences.
The Arnold Sports Festival is a proving ground for aspiring athletes in
a variety of Olympic sports, including
archery, boxing, fencing, figure skating, gymnastics, judo, karate,
running, table tennis, tae kwon do, track &
field and weightlifting.
“A Daily EXPO ticket affords a great entertainment value and allows our
attendees to experience a great
variety of sports and events,” said co-promoter Jim Lorimer, who
has partnered with Arnold Schwarzenegger
since 1975. “We are very proud to provide the opportunity for 18,000
athletes, a majority of them children,
to compete at the largest multi-sport festival in the United States.”
GNC, the nation’s largest specialty retailer of sports nutrition
products, will be the lead sponsor of the Arnold
Sports Festival for the 12th straight year in 2012.
For more information, including schedules and hours of operation, please
visit
www.arnoldsportsfestival.com
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