The Olympia owner confirmed he will advance payments following these delays.
There has been delays with payments to winners of the 2025 Masters Olympia competition and owner Jake Wood has decided to do something about it. After finding out about these delays from promoters, Wood has confirmed that he will be issuing payments to winners who have not yet received winnings.
The Masters Olympia took place from Aug. 9-10 in Tokyo with all 10 divisions in bodybuilding taking the stage. Dorian Haywood (Men’s Open) and Alex Cambronero (Classic Physique) were just two of the major headliners with victories on the Men’s side. In the Women’s divisions, it was Tiana Flex (Women’s Bodybuilding) and Jessica Reyes Padilla (Figure) who put on great shows to claim gold.
This was the second show following the return for Masters Olympia. It officially made its return in 2023. The event was held at the BT Arena in Cluj Napoca, Romania, where all 10 divisions in bodybuilding were present to compete. Kamal Elgargni highlighted the event with a victory in Men’s Open.
Robby Robinson won the first ever Masters Olympia competition back in 1994. Vince Taylor holds the record with six victories, which occurred consecutively from 1996-2001. There was a hiatus following the 2003 competition before Dexter Jackson took home the title in 2012.
Jake Wood Confirms Payments to Masters Olympia Winners
On Thursday, Jake Wood confirmed that he plans to cover all payments to winners following delays. He shared this note on the official Masters Olympia Instagram page.
“It has been brought to my attention that the Tokyo-based promoter of the Masters Olympia has not yet fulfilled the agreed-upon prize money obligations to the athletes. In light of this development, I will be personally advancing the prize money payments in order to prevent any further delays.”
This grabbed the attention of many around the bodybuilding world, including Phil Heath and Breon Ansley, praising Wood for his leadership in making this decision. Lee Haney also commented about the issues from promoters.
“This promoter has proven to be unreliable. The funds should have been escrowed before the event was announced for registration.
No excuses!!!!”
Is the Masters Olympia about legends making a comeback or current older competitors gaining more longevity?
In 2023, natural bodybuilder Brandon Lirio analyzed the Masters Olympia from all angles based on the information released thus far. This included potential issues with prize money along with competitors’ drive and motivation to compete.
Despite this possible prize money issue, Lirio understood that the Masters Olympia is not meant to simply be a comeback party for retired legends. The big positive part about the Masters Olympia (and all Masters competitions) is that it provides new opportunities for current competitors who are growing older in age. Many bodybuilders over the age of 40 are still actively competing. Their passion drives them to continue.
But the reality is that only a select few of elites would still be able to win a Mr. Olympia as they age towards 40 and beyond. The Masters Olympia provides an opportunity for a second life and realistic opportunities at winning more trophies.
Brandon Lirio points out that this is great thing. But on the flip side, the fans seem to be hoping for legends to come out of retirement and compete. The marketing of the event seems to be leading into that fan desire. Perhaps this makes sense for the very first Masters Olympia after an 11-years absence. The question is whether or not they will come for the price.
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