GCCC To Welcome Arnold Sports Festival

GREATER COLUMBUS CONVENTION CENTER WELCOMES THE ARNOLD SPORTS FESTIVAL

Nation’s Largest Sports Festival Comes Back to Columbus March 2 – 5

(Columbus, March 3, 2023) — The Arnold Classic men’s bodybuilding championships, the Arnold Strongman Classic, the popular Arnold Expo, and a variety of physique, strength, combat and fitness sports will again be featured at the multi-sport festival from March 2-5 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and several other venues in Central Ohio.

New in 2023 is the Arnold Sports debut of World Chase Tag®. The WCT6 Pan American Championship for the Americas will be held March 3-5 inside the Arnold Expo and will provide athletes from all over the western hemisphere the opportunity to battle for the right to compete in World Chase Tag® World Championship later this year.

This year, more than 100,000 people are expected to visit the Arnold Sports Festival. Other highlights of the 2023 festival will include:

An estimated 12,000 athletes competing
80+ countries will be represented
60+ sports and events will be held at this year’s competition
$1 million + in prize money given to competitors

The estimated direct visitor spend for this year’s Arnold Sports Festival is $15.6M.

“It’s exciting to be able to welcome back our signature event to the GCCC,” said GCCC Regional General Manager John R. Page. “The Arnold is a lot of individual events within one larger event, featuring more than 60 unique sporting events and competitions, as well as more athletes competing than in the Summer and Winter Olympics games combined. Additionally, we are looking forward to the energy this Saturday in downtown Columbus with the home opener of the Columbus Crew, Carrie Underwood at Nationwide Arena to go along with the Arnold Sports Festival happening at the GCCC”

The 2023 Arnold Expo will be held March 3-5 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and feature more than 1,000 booths of the latest in sports equipment, apparel and nutrition. Competitions will be held on four stages or areas inside the Arnold Expo: Main Stage, Strongman Arena, Rogue Strength Stage and the Schwarzenegger Stage that will feature MAS Wrestling and Armlifting. Medieval Fighting, Scottish Highland Games, Arnold Ninja, Amateur Strongman and World Chase Tag will also be held inside the Arnold Expo in 2023.

Admission to the Arnold Expo and most events at the Greater Columbus Convention Center is included in the Daily Expo Ticket. Daily tickets, Fast Passes that include early admission, and 3-Day Tickets are all available at www.arnoldsports.com.

Ample parking options can be found at the GCCC within one of the six onsite parking locations. With 4,700 parking spaces available, guests can view real-time parking availability at https://columbusconventions.com/park/parking-availability/. Advanced parking can be purchased online.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Columbus businessman Jim Lorimer founded the Arnold Sports Festival in 1989 when it debuted as a one-day bodybuilding competition known as the Arnold Classic. The Arnold Sports Festival has grown over the years and is now a four-day festival that features more than 60 sports and events.

ABOUT GREATER COLUMBUS CONVENTION CENTER:

The award-winning, 1.8 million-square-foot Greater Columbus Convention Center offers 373,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, 75 meeting rooms and a total of 114,000 square feet of ballroom space among three ballrooms. The facility is owned and developed by the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority and managed by ASM Global. For more information, please call (614) 827-2500, or visit https://columbusconventions.com . Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/ColumbusConventions and follow us on Twitter @CBusConventions.

ABOUT ASM GLOBAL:

ASM Global is the world’s leading producer of entertainment experiences. It is the global leader in venue and event strategy and management—delivering locally tailored solutions and cutting-edge technologies to achieve maximum results for venue owners. The company’s elite venue network spans five continents, with a portfolio of more than 350 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums, convention, and exhibition centers, and performing arts venues. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. asmglobal.com

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