The Masters Olympia is set to return. The contest will feature 10 bodybuilding divisions in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, on Aug. 26-27, 2023, at the BTArena. According to the Olympia‘s Dec. 1, 2022, post on Instagram, the list of invited competitors will be “published on April 24, 2023.”
A new Instagram account with the handle @mrolympiamasters has been established now that the contest’s return is official.
[Related: Sadik Hadzovic Will Not Compete at the 2022 Men’s Physique Olympia]
Here are the qualification requirements per their caption:
2023 Masters Olympia Age Requirements
- Wellness — Age 40 and older
- Bikini — Age 40 and older
- Fitness — Age 40 and older
- Men’s Physique — Age 40 and older
- Classic Physique — Age 40 and older
- Women’s Physique — Age 40 and older
- Figure — Age 40 and older
- Men’s Open —Age 45 and over
- Women’s Open — Age 45 and over
- 212 Bodybuilding — Age 45 and over
To participate in the 2023 Masters Olympia, prospective competitors need to send a “letter of intent” to mastersolympia@mrolympia.com with the following information:
Required Application Information
- Athlete Background — Age, country, titles
- Competitive History — This includes the last show the athlete participated in
- Social Media Accounts
Optional additional information may include:
- Video Application — no longer than one minute
- Pictures of the Athletes’ Actual Shape
Application Deadline: April 10, 2023
While the information required in the letter of intent to compete was listed for receiving an invitation to the 2023 Masters Olympia, how each of those items will be weighted in the decision-making process was not.
Winners of the Masters Mr. Olympia
The last time the Masters Olympia occurred was in 2012. 2008 Mr. Olympia Dexter Jackson was crowned the Masters Mr. Olympia that year. Here are the other Men’s Open Masters champions by year:
- 1994 — Robby Robinson
- 1995 — Sonny Schmidt
- 1996 — Vince Taylor
- 1997 — Vince Taylor
- 1999 — Vince Taylor
- 2000 — Vince Taylor
- 2001 — Vince Taylor
- 2002 — Don Youngblood
- 2003 — Claude Groulx
- 2012 — Dexter Jackson
After 11 years away, there are still several names that could headline the Masters Olympia. Former Mr. Olympia champions Phil Heath, Jay Cutler, and Dexter Jackson, who is technically the reigning Masters Mr. Olympia champion, are all still active in the gym and other aspects of the sport. Heath will be a part of the commentary team at the 2022 Olympia contest. Should any of them send a letter of intent, they would undoubtedly stand in the limelight in Romania.
Details regarding whether or not the 2023 Masters Olympia will be live-streamed have not yet been released though more information is expected soon. BarBend will update this article as more information becomes available.
Featured image: @mrolympiamasters on Instagram
