The Arnold Sports Convention & Expo Has Been Cancelled!!!

It was announced this evening that this year's Arnold Sports Festival has been cancelled!!!

Well, technically speaking the show will go on as scheduled, however due to worries about the Coronavirus aka COVID-19, specators are not allowed to attend the event and the trade show itself is cancelled, so for all intent and purposes The Arnold Classic has been cancelled. The competitions for the athletes however will go on.

This is incredibly disappointing as this is pretty much the hottest week in the supplement industry when bodybuilders, supplement fans, supplement brands, and retailers get together to celebrate the industry, rollout new supplements, and have a great time.

The one exception for spectators is The Arnold Classic World Bodybuilding Championship Finals which are scheduled for Saturday evening at The Greater Columbus Convention Center. The finals already had prepaid tickets sold and it's in a smaller setting minimizing fears of the spread of the Coronavirus.

This isn't the first convention or event to be cancelled. Several large trade shows in and around Chicago have been cancelled in recent days.

Governor Mike DeWine and Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther held a press conference this eveningn to announce the cancellation. Arnold Schwarzenegger also joined the conference by phone. DeWine said new guidance Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control on large public gathers led to the decision to cancel the event and the trade show saying...

"We all decided to move forward with the athlete competition of The Arnold Classic, but will not allow spectators or the trade show to continue, with the exception of the Arnold Classic Finals on Saturday night at the convention center," DeWine said.

Columbus Public Health Department will continue monitoring more than 22,000 athletes as they arrive for competitions. The health department will be meeting the athletes at the airport and questioning them about their recent travels.

The Columbus Public Health Commissioner, Mysheika Robert, said the health department has the staff to monitor the number of people expected to come to Columbus, but not more than that.

It's also been announced that athletes from China, Italy, Japan, Iran, and South Korea will be excluded from participating in the event.

This press conference was initially scheduled to be held earlier today, however it was initially cancelled and rescheduled for later this evening.

Arnold himself tweeted this evening saying...

"It's a sad day for me and everyone at @ArnoldSorts team. But we will always put our fans' health first. After discussions with @GovMikeDeWine, @MayorGinther, and the CDC we will be postponing the expo because we can't risk bringing 250,000 people together with #COVID19.

The Arnold Classic started back in 1989 named for bodybuilder, actor, and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The event hosts various sports competitions including bodybuilding, gymnastics, fencing, pickleball, and others.

The Arnold was expected to bring 250,000 from 80 different countries to Columbus. This is a blow to the city and the hospitality industry which was estimated to bring in 50 Million Dollars to the region.