The controversy of controversies.
The 1980 Mr Olympia contest staged in Sydney, Australia, remains by far the most controversial in the event's history. The contention centers on the participation of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had announced his retirement from competition in 1975 after winning six consecutive Mr. Olympia titles.
Seemingly only in Sydney to do commentary for CBS TV , Arnold stunned the bodybuilding world on the eve of the contest by declaring that he was returning to competition in pursuit of a seventh title.
Two days before the contest, Mike had that same " death's door feeling " which again confined him to bed for a whole day. By the morning of the contest, though, he had fully recovered. He was 225 pounds and more cut than he'd ever been. " I looked my best , but I didn't feel at my best. It just didn't feel like a normal contest; no one was being their usual selves. There was a strain and tension in the air all the way though."
WHO TERMINATED WHOM!
That strain and tension came to an electrifying climax at the competitors meeting held the morning of the contest. Fifteen of the 16 athletes had signed a petition asking that the two weight classes be abolished and that the Olympia should be contested as one open class. The one athlete not in agreement was Arnold Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Whatever the rights & wrongs , facts and misconceptions , theories and myths surrounded the 1980 Me. Olympia contest , in the interests of this narrative, it's important to understand that Mike Mentzer felt he was cheated in Sydney, and that sinister machinations were afoot. His belief is that certain forces , fueled by ignorance and sycophancy, combined to thrust an undeserving Arnold to first place and relegate him - perceived as owning the best physique in the contest - " ridiculous " fifth place.
This is how Mike recalls that fateful day. " There were maybe 50 people at the competitors meeting and as usual, Arnold wanted to be the center of attention. In every situation, he tries to be the standout, and on this occasion, he was the only athlete of the 16 in the contest who wanted to keep the two weight classes. " He said something to denigrate Samir Bannout that I thought was uncalled for. I passed on that, feeling Samir should have defended himself. As the debate progressed, there was a lot of arguing between Arnold and some of the guys. I wasn't really concerned one way or the other - I thought I could win anyway. Then Boyer Coe stood up and , as the gentlemen he is , said , " Why don't we let Arnold explain to us right here and now his exact reasons for wanted to have two weight classes? "
" Arnold barked , ' Boyer, lets talk like adults here. ' That really irked me , because Boyer made his plea with no hint of malice. In addition, this was the IFBB's event, but here was this big Prussian son of a bitch standing there acting like a Nazi and trying to walk all over us. " For some reason , that question pissed him off. He seemed like a guy out of control as he turned to face me, his upper lip curled around like a snarling animal. We were debating the issue of weight classes, but Arnold choose to snap at me. ' Mike Mentzer, we all know Zane beat you last year because you have a big stomach! '
" I was seated 20 feet away from Arnold, who was standing holding court, and I perhaps allowed that comment to irritate me too much, as on impulse, I bolted toward him. As I approached him, I decided I wouldn't hit him, but nevertheless I was surprised when Arnold sat down: I scared him! He sat as I continued to berate him. Wagging my finger at him, I told him, ' Look, Arnold, Boyer Coe said what he did as a gentlemen- he didn't deserve that response. You're the one who's acting like a baby,literally! ' Armold couldn't look me in the eye. He went from being a frantic hysterical adolescent to shrinking away like an injured child. "
Not for the first time in the history of bodybuilding, Joe Weider stepped in and defused the situation. He advised Arnold to accept the voices of the other 15. The debate ended as Arnold proclaimed, " I withdraw my objection. "
DECISION DOWN UNDER
" Throughout that meeting, Arnold had on a tight-knit weather that made him look skinny. I was curious to see what he looked like once he stripped down. When he did, I remember looking at him and thinking, Not only and I going to win this contest, but I'm going to beat Arnold Schwarzenegger as well!
" When I was called fifth, I was totally shocked. It was just a ridiculous placing, made more ridiculous by an out-of-shape Arnold winning. As for the other who finished ahead of me, I knew Frank Zane [ third ], due to an accident he had sustained four months earlier, wasn't as good as he had been the previous year. I mist say that Chris Dickerson [ second ] and Boyer Coe [ fourth ] were in phenomenal shape, particularly Chris. I felt he and I were the ones in absolute peak condition, and we should have been top two.
" The majority of observers at the 1980 Mr. Olympia, with the exception of the judging panel, didn't have Arnold in the top five. The crowd booed Arnold at the contest's conclusion, and there were a number of things that took place during the prejudging that perhaps should have provided an indication that as was not as it should have bee.
" Several of the judges were close friends of Arnold. Boyer Coe told me afterwards that he saw Reg Park, one of the judges, actually coaching Arnold from the official's table. In contrast, Bill Pearl had honorably removed himself from the judging panel, as he had spent some time training with Chris Dickerson.
" At times, the contest was like a circus. We had Franco Columbu- one of Arnold's weak-willed namby-pamy lackeys - coming onstage with a towel, a comb and oil, to go through a little act with Arnold at the expense of everybody else. I could quote other anomalies, but possibly the most pertinent is that CBS Sports flew half away around the world to tape the event and then never televised it. The word was that they were convinced it was a fix. " The record may show Arnold Schwarzenegger as the 1980 Mr. Olympia champion, but he wasn't the best bodybuilder onstage that day - not by a mile. "
In the immediate aftermath of the contest, several top names stated they would never compete again. They would later reverse their decisions and return to the contest dais. But even as he was announced fifth, Mike knew he would never compete again: " There was no way I was going to put myself though the same tortuous process again for a similar reward. At no point since 1980 have I been even sligthtly tempted to consider the possibility of competing. I don'tmiss it. "
Of all of its repercussions, it is difficult not to nominate Mike's premature retirement at 29 as being the major consequence of the 1980 Mr. Olympia contest. It effectively denied the sport of a view of the physique he could have built in future years.
