After a full season of contests that have taken place around the world, we finally know who will be moving on to compete for the title of 2019 Mr. Olympia. The 2019 Olympia Weekend will be taking place September 12-15 and the two-day contest will take place at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
There are a few ways to qualify for this show, and they have all been exercised by the different athletes that are in this lineup. In the Men’s Open division, winning a show gets you an automatic qualification. Athletes that placed in the Top 5 at the 2018 Olympia were automatically qualified for this year’s contest.
There were also three positions available for those that didn’t win contests. There is a season scoring system for the Top 5 positions at each show. The three athletes with the highest cumulative amount of points were allowed to compete on the big stage. Of course, athletes that win the title of Mr. Olympia earn lifetime qualification and entry into any IFBB Pro League show of his choosing.
Points to Remember
You will notice that the 2018 Mr. Olympia, Shawn Rhoden, isn’t on this list. While he is the reigning champion, he was removed from being a participant earlier in the season due to the legal charges he is currently facing.
This may change with the change.org petition Let Shawn Rhoden Compete being signed by thousands who believe he is innocent until proven guilty and should then be allowed to make a living.
A name you will see is Vancouver Pro winner Hadi Choopan of Iran. He is qualified but there have been conflicting reports about whether he will be able to attain a visa to enter the United States and compete. If he is unable to compete next month, we will share that news here on BarBend.
Last but certainly not least is 7-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath. As a former champion as well as last year’s runner-up, he is definitely eligible to compete but there has been speculation that he may sit this year out. Heath has not made his decision public as of this writing.
Athlete Name | How They Qualified
- Phil Heath, Former Mr. Olympia/2nd Place 2018 Olympia
- Roelly Winklaar, 3rd Place 2018 Olympia
- William Bonac, 4th Place 2018 Olympia
- Brandon Curry, 5th Place 2018 Olympia/2019 Arnold Classic Champion
- Dexter Jackson, Former Mr. Olympia/2019 Tampa Pro Winner
- Maxx Charles, 2018 Romania Pro Winner
- Clarence De Vis, 2018 George Farah Classic Winner
- Steve Kuclo, 2019 Indy Pro Winner
- Juan Morel, 2019 Arnold South America Winner
- Jon Delarosa, 2019 Puerto Rico Winner
- Patrick Moore, 2019 Golden State Winner
- Josh Lenartowicz, 2019 Big Man Weekend Winner
- Nathan DeAsha, 2019 British Grand Prix Winner
- Michael Lockett, 2019 Chicago Pro Winner
- Hadi Choopan, 2019 Vancouver Pro Winner
- Mohamed Shaaban, 2019 Portugal Pro Winner
- Lukas Osladil, 2019 Season Points Leader
- Luke Sandoe, 2019 Season Points – 2nd Place
- Akim Williams, 2019 Season Points – 3rd Place