# Ohio CANCELS Former Gov Schwarzenegger's Body Building EXPO, Yet The LA Marathon is Ok...Where's The Logic ??



## nononono (Mar 5, 2020)

*Coronavirus: Over 200,000 Attendees Barred as Ohio Government Shuts Arnold Schwarzenegger Bodybuilding Expo; Spectators Banned from Most Athletic Events*






 by Kristinn Taylor March 5, 2020


The annual Arnold Classic, aka the Arnold Sports Festival, bodybuilding exposition and bodybuilding 
contest led by Arnold Schwarzenegger and held in Columbus, Ohio, has been severely disrupted as 
fears of the coronavirus has prompted the state government to bar the public, well over 200,000 expected 
attendees, from much of the four day event this weekend, March 5-8. Ohio has no confirmed cases of 
coronavirus. Contestants and fans from around the world flock to Columbus attend the annual event. 
Athletes from the five nations most affected by the virus have also been barred.










_Photo posted to Twitter of the Schwarzenegger statue in Columbus Thursday wearing a mask, by Johnny Pomodoro_

Schwarzenegger made the announcement Tuesday after discussions with government officials:

The Ohio Department of Health issued an order Thursday officially banning spectators from 
most of the events at the Arnold Classic. The order allows parents and guardians to attend 
events their children are in. 
Two nights final events for the adult competitions on Friday and Saturday are allowed to have spectators.


Excerpt:…The order says the following:1. The Arnold Sports and Fitness Expo is prohibited from allowing the public to attend events as part of the Arnold Sports and Fitness Expo scheduled for March 5-8, 2020 at the following venues:Greater Columbus Convention Center (400 N. High St., Columbus, Ohio 43215)
Ohio Expo Center (717 E. 17th, Columbus, Ohio 43211)
Hyatt Regency Columbus (350 N. High St., Columbus, Ohio 43215)
2. The Arnold Sports and Fitness Expo may allow the parents or guardians of any minor competing in an event at the Arnold Sports and Fitness Expo to attend the event(s) in which their child(ren) are participating. The parents or guardians must have appropriate identification to prove they are the parent or guardian of a minor participating in the Arnold Sports and Fitness Expo.3. On Friday March 6, 2020 the Arnold Sports and Fitness Expo is permitted to admit spectators to the following four events scheduled for 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Battelle Grand at the Columbus Convention Center:


> Fitness International—Finals
> Figure International—Finals
> Women’s Physique—Finals
> Classic Physique—Finals
> ...


The AP reported the order was prompted after conflicting information was 
announced by Schwarzenegger.
In a letter to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Schwarzenegger complained his 
event was being treated differently than other large sporting events in the state.

_“…There is no explanation to allow all these other events with 20,000 fans to continue while 
not allowing us to sell tickets to a few thousand sports fans to watch our different sports…”_
The Columbus Dispatch reported on the event (excerpt):




> …Banning spectators and canceling the trade show probably will have a big impact
> on the city. An estimated 200,000 people who visit the event contribute $53 million to the
> economy and fill 18,000 hotel rooms.
> The Arnold is the only festival of its kind in the United States. It began in 1988 with a single event.
> ...


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