Steve Weinberger discussed some unknowns about the state of judging in bodybuilding.
Head judge Steve Weinberger knows a thing or two about how scores get handed out in the sport of bodybuilding. Each year, Weinberger is present to help lead the biggest shows of the year. During a recent interview, he washable to discuss judging in bodybuilding, which has been criticized over the last few years.
During the 2023 Olympia, many were unhappy following the event with the outcome that saw Derek Lunsford defeat Hadi Choopan. This can happen at any show due to the overall emotion. In the end, if information is reviewed, Weinberger believes that you will find judging is correct more often than not.
“For the most part, 99.9% of the time, they get it right.
There are contests that were close and I could have seen it go either way but I mean, for the most part, the judges get it right. The right person wins and you know there’s always comments of this guy could have won and that guy could have won but when you sit down and look at the pictures and see what happened, they get it right.”
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Steve Weinberger Backs Up Judging
At all IFBB Pro League shows, there are the highest quality of judges present to help determine winners. The only difference is the amount of judges there. Steve Weinberger explains how the number can vary from three judges all the way up to 11 at competitions like the Olympia.
“There are times where judges see it different but remember, depending on how many judges there are, there’s either two highs or two lows that get kicked out. Someone could have had two ones or four ones and got kicked out.”
Overall, the quality of judging in the IFBB Pro League has been described as exceptional by Weinberger. This is because they are present at every show. The overall consistency is important when building a product. For bodybuilding, all shows, even small and local, feature some of the best judges in the sport.
“Our judges are very good. They are all very good and they have been judging for a long time. There really are no bad judges. Not on a Pro level. Even at a local show, we have good judges.”
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