Samir Bannout Full Interview | Golden Era Stories, Thoughts On Big Ramy & More

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.

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