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Well folks, I have never been one for conspiracy theories and I don\u2019t really want to start being one now,\u00a0 but this whole issue of visas and international athletes has\u00a0 more or less struck a chord with me. I\u2019ve seen it happen time and time again where international athletes talk about how they can\u2019t get a Visa but then they miraculously do. The nail-biting has subsided and it\u2019s really starting to seem more like a publicity stunt than anything else. We saw it happen with Behrouz at the China Pro and then at the Olympia. But guess what? He competed in China and he\u2019s competing at the Olympia.\u00a0 So, if a guy who will more than likely be second or third call outs can go to the biggest show in bodybuilding, then it stands to reason that a former world champion would have no problem getting in. At least you would think so, right? I am of the opinion that Hadi Choopan has become so overlooked that maybe this is exactly what\u2019s needed to get him back in the conversation. I mean we\u2019re not talking about somebody that has decided to pull out at the 11th hour who did not prepare for the contest. Hadi has been preparing relentlessly all year long for this one show that could potentially return him to the top spot in the world. So, when he says that he is pulling out when there\u2019s still plenty of time to compete, it really makes me wonder if we\u2019re being taken for a ride here.<\/p>\n
Listen folks, I know that public opinion doesn\u2019t really matter on the score cards. We have often heard that it doesn\u2019t matter what bodybuilders do on Instagram or Facebook or YouTube or Twitter. All that matters is what happens on the stage. But that is also a crock of bullshit as well. Because we know that bodybuilders can be very moody and very emotional individuals. We know this can be a result of caloric manipulation, hormone imbalance, and just downright pride. Especially if you\u2019re dealing with a competitor that has been a past world champion. When you are Mr Olympia, you are the best bodybuilder in the world. And I think that past Olympia champions expect a certain level of public support and when they don\u2019t get it they\u2019re left at odds. It\u2019s not just reserved for Olympia champions; we have seen this with Arnold Classic champions and New York Pro winners as well. These elite level bodybuilders are not used to being ignored. But what happens when the flavor of the week is the talk of the town? And what happens when there is another flavor of the week the following week? And so on and so forth.<\/p>\n
The sport of bodybuilding has become such that if you don\u2019t win often you\u2019re not talked about. it didn\u2019t used to be that way. If you were a past Olympia champion and you were competing, then you were automatically discussed at length by the pundits and the talking heads. But that just hasn\u2019t happened. At least it hasn\u2019t happened to Hadi.<\/p>\n
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