Watch the full uncut GI Exclusive interview with Samir Bannout.
Samir Bannout is a bodybuilder who came into his prime during the tail end of the Golden Era of bodybuilding. He’s also a bodybuilder who lived the American dream similar to athletes like Franco Columbu and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He came to the US with a passion for bodybuilding and became a superstar and Olympia champion.
Bannout is also a Mr. Olympia champion – falling into a small club of athletes who only won the title once. Despite retiring many years ago, he has remained vigilant in his passion for the sport – providing an entire training program to help improve and educate new generations of athletes.
Over the past few months we’ve released multiple GI Exclusive segments from our interview with Samir Bannout. Now we’re releasing the full uncut interview. This includes topics such as his thoughts on the rise of middle eastern bodybuilders, his first hand account of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s controversial 1980 Olympia win, and more!
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Listen to the full Samir Bannout interview here:
Samir Bannout’s First Hand Account Of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Controversial Olympia 1980 Win
Samir Bannout is a bodybuilding legend in his own right. He is a Mr. Olympia champion and considered by many to have one of the greatest physiques of all time. He was also present at the 1980 Mr. Olympia competition. We sat down with Samir via video chat for our latest GI Exclusive interview. During that conversation, we asked him to reflect on his first hand account of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return and the drama that ensued at Mr. Olympia 1980.
Arnold Schwarzenegger ultimately was crowned the winner of the Mr. Olympia 1980. This decision was so poorly received that Frank Zane threw his trophy to the ground and multiple athletes stormed off stage. It was clear that many disagreed with the judges decision.
So what about Samir Bannout? Did he disagree with the call? He makes it clear in our conversation that he felt Arnold Schwarzenegger did not deserve to win the Mr. Olympia 1980. In fact, while he does not have confirmation, he has heard many rumors from trusted friends in the industry. Rumors that imply that Arnold Schwarzenegger received help from the judges due to his rising star in Hollywood.
There are those who thought perhaps Arnold was scored more favorably because of how much power he held as a celebrity. Or alternatively, he was so beloved that the judges scored more on Arnold the icon rather than his conditioning.
“Yeah of course so many people got pissed off and I also believe they have the right to get mad,” Samir Bannout states in our interview. He continues:
“I THINK THE ASSUMPTION WAS THEN… DO I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED OR WHY DID ARNOLD WIN? SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER, ARNOLD HAD A LOT OF FANS. AND HE’S ARNOLD. EVERYONE LOOKED UP TO ARNOLD. AND SO, I HEARD THAT SOME OF THE JUDGES LOVED ARNOLD. LOVED HIM AS ARNOLD. THEY DIDN’T CARE ABOUT HIS CONDITIONING THAT DAY. THEY VOTED FOR HIM AS ARNOLD AND THAT’S NOT RIGHT. ME PERSONALLY IF MY BROTHER WAS ON STAGE, DOESN’T DESERVE TO WIN, I WOULDN’T LET HIM WIN.”
Samir Bannout makes a point to state he has no proof of this. It’s a rumor he has heard from enough people to trust in the topic. That’s a testament to just how controversial Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1980 victory was. While all of these claims may simply be one day proven false – it’s the optics that led to such fervor.
Samir Bannout Answers: Is There A Middle East Movement Dominating Bodybuilding?
Samir Bannout is proud to be the first Middle Eastern bodybuilder to win the Mr. Olympia. He also has stayed extremely passionate and focused on the sport of bodybuilding ever since his retirement. Event today, he dedicates himself to further helping improve and educate new generations of bodybuilders to support the sport. So what does he think of the rise of Dubai as a mecca for bodybuilding? And of Big Ramy’s win at the Mr. Olympia 2020? Does he see this as a true movement of Middle Eastern bodybuilding?
Samir Bannout admits that there has been a cultural shift in competitive bodybuilding. Dubai has become a hot spot for bodybuilders. While not all of them are actually from the Middle East, Dubai has become a new mecca that promises unreal transformations for competitors who train there. Brandon Curry is the most notable man to train in Dubai, transform his physique, and become a Mr. Olympia champion.
But of course, this new sort of mecca is also benefiting competitors from the Middle East. Big Ramy is now our current Mr. Olympia champion and we’ve seen the likes of Hadi Choopan and Kamal Elgargni show extreme dominance in the sport.
Samir Bannout is unsure if this is a true long term movement though. He points out that bodybuilding has always been a very diverse and international sport. He’s personally seen many rising bodybuilders across a variety of countries that have him excited for the future of the sport.
On top of that, the past year of pro bodybuilding was marred by COVID-19.Big Ramy certainly deserved the Mr. Olympia and showed his best physique. But there will always be a “what if” about 2019 and 2020. We have no idea how the virus affected the top pros personal lives and training. Samir Bannout believes that perhaps 2021 will be bigger indicator. Will Big Ramy and Hadi Choopan continue to thrive at this year’s Mr. Olympia?
During this interview clip, Samir Bannout also talks about his own success as being the first Middle Eastern Mr. Olympia – and reflects on whether not he retired too soon. As he had mentioned previously, he felt slighted by the sport after his 6th place finish in 1984. This got into his head and took the fun out of the sport. He often wonders if he could have stuck with it and eventually moved past the negativity.
Wrap Up
We discuss many more topics with Samir Bannout than what can be fully covered in this article. That’s why you should check out the full GI Exclusive interview above! We discuss far many more topics including his opinion on modern bodybuilding physiques, his reaction to Big Ramy’s Olympia winning physique, and much more!
