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This is a question I\u2019ve been struggling with since it became 100% clear Hadi wasn\u2019t competing. I know he said he wasn\u2019t coming. I know the media said he wasn\u2019t coming. That\u2019s all fine and dandy, but bodybuilding has become a sport of surprises. Just look at what Behrouz Tabani did at the China Pro. He was denied for a visa, and then re-applied. And just like that! He got the visa, was on a plane, and hit the ground running. Not only was he able to compete, but he won his Olympia qualification. It was almost like there was a plane and a pilot on standby, telling the 200+ passengers to hurry up and wait because they were waiting for the big man. As whimsical as that sounds, so too, does the idea of reapplying for a visa and getting approved sounds to me. It\u2019s like they don\u2019t have computers in Iran? There\u2019s no log of a rejected visa? I get that most countries aren\u2019t as advanced as the United States, but it\u2019s like Zamunda over there. And not only that, but did we forget about the pandemic? How many physiques were ruined by the sheer uncertainty of whether contests were going to happen or not? You want to talk about spiked cortisol levels? Then let\u2019s talk about the very reason for the whole prep suddenly being put in limbo. It\u2019s enough to make you spill over, balloon up, and lose every visible line. Your nerves would be wrecked, but not Behrouz\u2019s. Then there\u2019s the last-minute flying, that would make most guys hold water and lose their shit \u2013 but not Behrouz. It was like he was unphased, landed, and won. So again, if Behrouz could compete at the 11th<\/sup> hour, then so could a past Mr. Olympia and Arnold Classic champion at the Superbowl of Bodybuilding. That was a pretty long tangent, but I don\u2019t regret taking you guys on it. It\u2019s important because Hadi could\u2019ve competed but just gave up trying. At least that\u2019s how I see it.<\/p>\n Hadi\u2019s announcement about not getting a visa seemed almost convenient. I must admit, I\u2019ve become far more skeptical in my relative old age. Whereas I used to roll my eyes at conspiracy theories, now I embrace them. The Persian Wolf not being at the \u201926 O still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. He was firing on all cylinders. The guy was ready. Why didn\u2019t his camp try harder? Well, that might be because his camp no longer has Hany Rambod. I\u2019m sure they\u2019re still friends, but that drama from last year still lingers on in my humble opinion. Hadi\u2019s image took a hit with the Iranians in exile. These folks didn\u2019t take too kindly to his position. Even in Iran we saw his posters being torn down from gyms.<\/p>\n Hadi is in a unique position when it comes to the politics of bodybuilding. Most writers won\u2019t touch this topic with a ten-foot pole, but given my hiatus, exile, shelving, I can speak more freely. Choopan is a bit of an anomaly. They want him to compete, and they\u2019ll reward him with the great placings at the O, but how many times as he been able to win \u2013 and hasn\u2019t? Even the year that Derek beat him, I had Hadi winning. And that\u2019s no knock on Derek, but this isn\u2019t personal. Shawn Ray is 100% right on that one! Bodybuilders today cannot process criticism. Derek looked phenomenal the year he won, but he was in 2nd<\/sup> place in my opinion. That still means he was the best bodybuilder on the planet, save for one man. Still, if Derek sees or hears anyone say that he\u2019s likely to throw a temper tantrum. If that happens, so be it. I\u2019m a writer, but not a babysitter.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n