The new prize for the Men’s Open division will reach new heights in bodybuilding.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has been raising the bar during his event for years now. He is as determined as ever to bring the Arnold Classic to new heights and took major steps once again.
During a recent announcement on Instagram, Schwarzenegger shared that the 2026 Arnold Classic will feature a $1.5 million prize purse. This includes $750,000 to the Men’s Open champion.
“Since we have the 50th anniversary coming up, we are going to go and do something very special. We are going to up the cash prize from $500,000 to $750,000 and the total cash prize from $1 million to $1.5 million because I am sick and tired of all of this waiting.”
Arnold has been raising his prize money each year in order to give competitors further incentive to take the stage. He also wants the prize to be worth the preparation that bodybuilders go through all year long.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Announces New Prizes
Arnold wanted athletes to have the chance to win a total of $1 million at his events. He explained how the winner of the Arnold in Columbus could then go to England to compete in the European Arnold Classic, where the prize is $250,000.
While Arnold wants to increase the prize money, he also wants to create the best environment possible by bringing in more fans.
“I want the bodybuilders not just to train all year, make the sacrifices, and sweat and pump up, then go to an auditorium that is full of empty seats. I want it to be packed. This is why it is so important for the Arnold Classic to increase the amount of spectators that come.”
The allure of the Arnold Classic has been taken up a notch in recent years with Schwarzenegger adding prize money. Last year, reigning Mr. Olympia Samson Dauda battled the likes of Derek Lunsford and Andrew Jacked. Previously, Dauda was taken down by Hadi Choopan in another memorable battle on stage in Columbus.
Arnold wants to continue to grow his sports festival, which is one of the biggest in the world. He has made it clear that he wants to be at the top of bodybuilding and that is the goal once again.
“We have the biggest sports and fitness festivals in the world. We have tens of thousands of athletes participating in different sports and we have over 200,000 spectators coming there. We are going to continue pumping it up. Let the others chase. We are always going to be the leaders.”
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