Gregg Valentino reacts to the recent sale of the Mr. Olympia brand and reflects on the future of the competition.
In February, it was announced that the Mr. Olympia competition and brand was sold by American Media Inc. This signifies the beginning of a new era for the competition – but will that new era see a rise or a fall from grace? Gregg Valentino has never been one to hold back on his opinions. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Gregg Valentino shares his thoughts on the Olympia sale and the quality of the competition as a whole.
Gregg Valentino is an old school purist when it comes to the Mr. Olympia. “I think no one should own the Olympia. I think bodybuilding should own the Olympia,” Gregg states in our interview. Of course that’s not entirely possible – but the sentiment is clear. No matter what these competitions are a business but the spirit of them should be treated with the passion and soul of bodybuilding.
Gregg Valentino goes on to explain that AMI was a business first that had it’s hands in many different industries. They didn’t have the true passion for bodybuilding like Joe Weider before them. Of course, to Gregg no one can replace Joe Weider. He hopes that the new owner, Jake Wood, will be able to follow in Weider’s footsteps. But at the same time Gregg doesn’t think anyone can do what Joe and Ben Weider did for bodybuilding.
For those looking to see the Olympia and bodybuilding return to the feeling and atmosphere of earlier eras (the 90s and earlier), Gregg thinks they will be sorely disappointed. We can’t truly remake the past. It will always be different. Hopefully it can become better and keep growing – but for Gregg that ship has sailed. He is firmly planted in the Weider era of bodybuilding. That will never come back and younger fans hopeful to one day see that era revived just might need to reset their standards for the future.
Check out Gregg Valentino’s full reaction to the Olympia sale and its future in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
