Mr. Olympia in the Golden Era: The Contests That Defined Bodybuilding

Mr. Olympia is the top title in professional bodybuilding, created by Joe Weider and first held on September 18, 1965, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. Larry Scott won that first contest. In the Golden Era chapter of Mr. Olympia history, the title then passed to Sergio Oliva, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu and Frank Zane, and the Mr. Olympia winners of the 1970s were Schwarzenegger (1970–75), Columbu (1976) and Zane (1977–79).

This guide goes through the contest year by year from 1965 to the early 1980s. It covers who won, where the shows were held, the rivalries that shaped the title, and why so much of the story leads back to one small stretch of coast in Venice, California.

Why was Mr. Olympia created?

By the mid-1960s, bodybuilding's top amateur titles, such as Mr. America and Mr. Universe, had a problem. Once a man had won Mr. Universe, there was nothing left for him to win. Joe Weider created the Mr. Olympia so that past Mr. Universe winners could keep competing and earn money doing it.

Weider was already one of the most powerful figures in the sport. In 1946 he and his younger brother staged the first Mr. Canada contest in Montreal and formed the International Federation of Bodybuilders. He also ran a growing magazine and supplement business. A contest open only to proven champions gave his federation a title above every other, and gave his magazines a story to cover every year.

The first prize was $1,000. By 1979 the overall winner took home $25,000, which shows how quickly the contest grew during the Golden Era.

Who won the first Mr. Olympia?

Only three men took the stage in 1965: Larry Scott, Harold Poole and Earl Maynard, who had just won the 1965 Mr. Universe. Scott won and became the first Mr. Olympia. He was best known for his huge, rounded arms.

Scott won again in 1966 and then retired from competition.

Who were the Mr. Olympia winners from 1965 to 1984?

Here is the full list of champions from the contest's first two decades, including every Mr. Olympia winner of the 1970s:

1. 1965: Larry Scott, Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York
2. 1966: Larry Scott
3. 1967: Sergio Oliva, Brooklyn Academy of Music
4. 1968: Sergio Oliva, Brooklyn Academy of Music
5. 1969: Sergio Oliva, Brooklyn Academy of Music
6. 1970: Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Town Hall, New York City
7. 1971: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Paris, France
8. 1972: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Essen, West Germany
9. 1973: Arnold Schwarzenegger, New York
10. 1974: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden, New York City
11. 1975: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Pretoria, South Africa
12. 1976: Franco Columbu, Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Columbus, Ohio
13. 1977: Frank Zane
14. 1978: Frank Zane
15. 1979: Frank Zane, Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Columbus, Ohio
16. 1980: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sydney Opera House, Australia
17. 1981: Franco Columbu, Columbus, Ohio
18. 1982: Chris Dickerson, London
19. 1983: Samir Bannout, Munich, West Germany
20. 1984: Lee Haney, New York City

The Golden Era is usually dated to roughly the 1960s through the 1970s, often extended into the early 1980s. Lee Haney's first win in 1984 is often treated as the start of a new period, built around much bigger physiques. He went on to win eight titles in a row.

How did Sergio Oliva dominate the late 1960s?

Sergio Oliva, a Cuban-born bodybuilder, won in 1967. Records of that contest say Harold Poole was ahead on the original scorecards before the show was re-judged at the last moment, and Oliva was declared the winner. Oliva, known as "The Myth," brought a level of mass combined with a tiny waist that judges had rarely seen.

In 1968 no one stood against him. The other expected contenders all withdrew, and Oliva kept his title unopposed. Dave Draper, one of the best-known faces at Joe Gold's gym in Venice, had placed fourth in 1967 but was busy with film and promotional work in 1968.

Who beat Arnold Schwarzenegger at Mr. Olympia?

The answer is Sergio Oliva, and it only happened once. On September 13, 1969, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Oliva beat a 22-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger for his third straight title. It was the first of four times the two met at the Olympia, and the only one Oliva won. The contest is considered to have ended with the first posedown.

Schwarzenegger had moved to the United States in 1968, encouraged by Joe Weider, and settled in Southern California. He trained at Gold's Gym in Venice, which Joe Gold had opened in 1965 at 1006 Pacific Avenue. The rematch came at The Town Hall in New York City in 1970, and this time Schwarzenegger won. It was the first of his six straight titles.

The strangest title: Paris, 1971

The 1971 contest at the Maison de la Mutualité in Paris is one of the oddest in the sport's history. Three of the four entrants were disqualified before the show. Oliva was barred for competing in the NABBA Mr. Universe, which the IFBB did not sanction, and Franco Columbu and Roy Callender were disqualified from the IFBB Mr. Universe held alongside it for entering non-sanctioned events. Schwarzenegger won unopposed. It was the first time the IFBB had barred contestants from any of its events. Oliva and Franco Columbu were allowed to pose for the crowd as an exhibition.

Essen, 1972: Arnold vs. Oliva again

The two rivals met again at the Handelshof in Essen, West Germany, in 1972. Schwarzenegger took five of the seven judges' first-place votes, with Oliva second, Serge Nubret third, Frank Zane fourth and Franco Columbu fifth. The win was Schwarzenegger's third in a row, tying the record Oliva had set.

Why did Mr. Olympia have weight classes?

In 1974 the contest split into two classes for the first time: under 200 pounds and over 200 pounds. The class winners then competed for the overall title. This system ran through 1979.

The 1974 show at the Felt Forum in Madison Square Garden matched Schwarzenegger against a young Lou Ferrigno in the heavyweight class. Schwarzenegger won his fifth straight title. Columbu won the lightweight class ahead of Frank Zane.

What happened at the 1975 Mr. Olympia?

The 1975 Mr. Olympia was held in Pretoria, South Africa, on November 8, 1975, and it is the contest most fans know best. It is the climax of the documentary Pumping Iron, which follows Schwarzenegger, Ferrigno and Columbu as they prepare, with many of the training scenes filmed at Gold's Gym in Venice.

Schwarzenegger won the heavyweight class, with Serge Nubret second and Ferrigno third. Columbu won the lightweight class. The overall decision was close: four judges voted for Schwarzenegger and three for Columbu. Schwarzenegger then announced his retirement.

Who won Mr. Olympia in the late 1970s after Arnold retired?

With Schwarzenegger gone, his closest training partner took over. Franco Columbu was a Sardinian-born bodybuilder who had met Schwarzenegger in Stuttgart in 1965 and later followed him to California to train under Weider. He won the 1976 title at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio, beating heavyweight winner Ken Waller for the overall crown. At about five foot five, Columbu proved that a smaller man could win the sport's biggest title.

Then came Frank Zane, who won three straight titles from 1977 to 1979. Zane had beaten Schwarzenegger at the 1968 IFBB Mr. Universe in Florida, and his physique pushed the sport toward symmetry, proportion and definition rather than size alone. He had also been a mathematics and chemistry teacher. In 1979 Zane won the lightweight class and then beat heavyweight winner Mike Mentzer for the overall title.

Why was the 1980 Mr. Olympia so controversial?

The 1980 Mr. Olympia, held at the Sydney Opera House on October 4, 1980, is the most argued-about contest of the era. Schwarzenegger came out of retirement and entered just one day before the show, after about eight weeks of training while preparing for his role in Conan the Barbarian. The other competitors had not expected him.

He won his seventh title, with Chris Dickerson second, Frank Zane third, and Boyer Coe and Mike Mentzer tied on points behind them. Parts of the audience booed the decision. Critics said Schwarzenegger lacked his usual size and conditioning, and Mentzer later blamed politics. Several athletes vowed to boycott the 1981 show, and Mentzer never competed again.

Columbu came back to win in 1981. Chris Dickerson finally won in 1982 in London, and Samir Bannout won in Munich in 1983. In 1984 Lee Haney began a new era.

How is Mr. Olympia connected to Venice?

The connection is not just a legend. Gold's Gym opened in Venice in 1965, the same year as the first Mr. Olympia. Within a few years Joe Weider had brought Schwarzenegger and Columbu to Southern California, and Venice became the place where champions trained between contests.

Schwarzenegger trained at Gold's Gym in Venice before his run of titles. Columbu trained alongside him. Dave Draper, a 1967 Olympia finalist, was another familiar face at the gym. When Pumping Iron showed the world these men preparing for the 1975 Olympia, it was the Venice gym and the nearby beach that audiences saw. You can read more about the people in our guide to the Golden Era legends of Venice Beach and the full story of Gold's Gym Venice.

If you want to see these places in person, our guided Golden Era LA Tour visits Gold's Gym Venice (we stop outside the gym; entry is not part of the tour), Muscle Beach Venice and the Original Muscle Beach in Santa Monica. Along the way, the coach tells the stories behind these Olympia years.

Why do the Golden Era contests still matter?

The Golden Era Olympias set the template for everything that came after:

• The rivalry format. Scott vs. Poole, Oliva vs. Schwarzenegger, Zane vs. Mentzer: fans followed the contest like a heavyweight boxing title.
• The aesthetic ideal. Zane's symmetry and Schwarzenegger's mix of size and presence are still the reference point for "classic" physiques.
• Mainstream fame. Pumping Iron and the 1975 Olympia carried bodybuilding out of the gym and into cinemas, and made Venice a place fans travel to see. For background on that broader moment, see what the Golden Era of bodybuilding was.

Visit the places where the Olympia champions trained

Reading about Brooklyn, Pretoria and Sydney is one thing. Standing where the champions trained in Los Angeles is another. The Golden Era LA Tour is a guided, roughly six-hour tour of the vital places in bodybuilding history, led by a working LA strength coach. It is a history tour, not a workout. The all-inclusive Seat price covers van transport between Stops, the coach's storytelling, a healthy lunch and a t-shirt.

Coming with a group? A Private Tour reserves the whole day for your party. And if you are shopping for a fan of Arnold, Franco or Frank Zane, a gift card never expires.