Earlier this week, state and city officials and Arnold Schwarzenegger himself had to break the bad news to the fitness world that one of its biggest, most diverse events wouldn’t be going on as planned. The Arnold Classic Sports Festival 2020, the huge consumer expo and sports competition held annually in Columbus, Ohio, was postponed as the world addresses the issues presented by the ongoing spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
But the postponement only applies to the convention, which was expected to draw nearly 250,000 fitness fans. The competitions, which range from staples like bodybuilding, strongman, and powerlifting to MMA, medieval fighting, and Scottish Highland Games, are still happening, albeit with smaller audiences (local affiliate WHIO reports that the 4,000 spectators who had already purchased tickets to the Arnold Classic Finals on Saturday night will still be allowed to attend, as this number of people does not contradict CDC guidelines).
The events are already underway—but you’ll still be able to catch some of the most exciting action on the Arnold Sports Festival YouTube channel, which will host live streams of the marquee events. Check out the event schedule here for a full list of when the competitions will take place.
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One of the big ticket events is the Arnold Strongman Classic, which pits a healthy Hafthor Björnsson against reigning World’s Strongest Man Martins Licis for the first time since Licis took the title from an injured Björnsson at last year’s WSM championship. Björnsson, who recently deadlifted over 1,000 pounds for multiple reps in a training session with Licis, is the Arnold Classic defending champ. Licis is also in prime position for a strong performance, after beating four-time World’s Strongest Man Brian Shaw to qualify at the Arnold Strongman USA event earlier this year. The events begin on Friday, then wrap up on Saturday.
The Arnold Strongman Classic 2020 Schedule
Friday, March 6 – 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Eastern)
Events
Trial By Stone
Bag Over Bar
Wheel Of Pain
Saturday, March 7 – 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Events
ROGUE Elephant Bar Deadlift
Timber Carry
Saturday, March 7 – 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Cyr Strategic Dumbbell Challenge
The other big ticket event, the Arnold Classic bodybuilding competition, culminates in the finals on Saturday night. You’ll be able to watch the qualifiers for that (and other categories like fitness, physique, and bikini) throughout the weekend, with the main event starting at 7 p.m. (ET) on Saturday.
Interested in watching more? You can stream both the weightlifting (via USA Weightlifting) and powerlifting competitions (via USA Powerlifting) too, according to Muscle & Fitness. Check out the schedule to find your favorite event.
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