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Mr. Olympia<\/strong>\u00a0is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men\u2019s bodybuilding contest at Joe Weider\u2019s Olympia Weekend \u2013 an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the\u00a0International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness<\/strong>\u00a0(IFBB).\u00a0Joe Weider<\/strong>\u00a0created the contest to enable the Mr. Universe winners to continue competing and to earn money. The first Mr. Olympia was held on September 18, 1965, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City, with\u00a0Larry Scott<\/strong>\u00a0winning his first of two straight titles.<\/p>\n The record number of wins is eight, held by\u00a0Lee Haney<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(1984\u20131991) and\u00a0Ronnie Coleman\u00a0<\/strong>(1998\u20132005).\u00a0Nick Walker<\/a><\/strong> currently holds the title of Mr. Olympia, after winning it in 2026. The film Pumping Iron (1977), featured the build-up to the 1975 Mr. Olympia, in Pretoria South Africa and helped launch the acting careers of\u00a0Arnold Schwarzenegger<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Lou Ferrigno<\/a><\/strong>, both finalists in the contest.<\/p>\n Beyond the Men\u2019s Open class, champions from the other 11 classes are crowned annually, which includes Men\u2019s 212 Bodybuilding, Classic Physique, Men\u2019s Physique, Fitness, Figure, Women\u2019s Physique, Women\u2019s Bodybuilding, Wellness, Bikini, Wheelchair, and Fit Model, which joined the Olympia in 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n50 Years of Mr. Olympia<\/h2>\n