The Orleans Arena was sold out as fans watched the best bodybuilding and fitness athletes compete for the greatest titles in the sport. And those who couldn’t attend watched the exclusive live webcast on FLEXonline.com. Prize money was a record $1,215,000 – the largest prize money total by far in the history of the industry. To truly grasp the significance of that sum, consider that in 2004, it was $540,000.
Now, with a couple of days to catch a breath after all the excitement, IFBB Professional League President, Jim Manion, took the time to recognize the people responsible for making the 2015 Olympia Weekend a rousing success: David J. Pecker, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of American Media, Inc. and his staff, especially Robin Chang.
“After speaking with several athletes after the show, all of them told me that David Pecker and AMI’s passion and commitment to our sport was never more evident than in this past weekend’s event. In his opening speech and presentation to open the show David even raised the prize money for the first place Mr. Olympia to $400,000 right on the spot, guaranteeing the winner $400,000 instead of $300,000 much to the appreciation of the athletes and fans, alike. David, Robin Chang and crew have worked tirelessly making the Olympia the recognized brand in the bodybuilding and fitness industry the world over. All of the athletes are grateful for their efforts in making this the unquestioned Super Bowl of our bodybuilding sport and are well aware of how much the Olympia has grown over the last decade.
On behalf of the IFBB Professional League and all of the winners and competitors, I want to thank David Pecker and American Media Inc. for an incredible weekend that far surpassed all expectations. The IFBB Pro League is proud to be working in partnership with AMI in producing Olympia Weekend. We look forward to even bigger things next year.”
Watch the entire Olympia competition on a double-DVD set available through www.IFBBTV.com.
