He had a rough start to the year, but in terms of worldwide fan attention, I say why not let the guy enter?
Yes, he got in trouble, but so did Vic martinez, and he still has millions of fans in the USA who would prefer to see him in the Olympia.
Japan has 128 million citizens. That's an awesome fan base. See the way the NBA exploded worldwide with players like China's yao Ming? Why not give bodybuilding that worldwide exposure by letting a Japanese bodybuilder take the stage for the first time at the O?
I understand politics, etc. But what about growing the fan base of the sport? There are millions of young japanese kids who mess around with weights - - but Hideo is the first high profile Japanese bodyubilder on the IFBB stage they can see in magazines and look up to, just like we looked up to Ronnie and Dorian, Haney and Arnold when we were kids.
It's a good business move. He is a legit threat at 202, and he represents a country of 128 million who have a lot of money and are very tech-saavy... that's a lot of kids who could be tuning into the webcast and wondering what supplements they need to gain some size and look better.
I don't get a vote, but if I did, I've vote for worldwide growth of the sport - Invite Hide.
