OLYMPIA WEEKEND: Pumped up

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More money, more power, more room, more attractions, more fun.

Thus is the direction Joe Weider's 2005 Olympia Weekend is taking as the Super Bowl of bodybuilding comes to The Orleans Arena, Thursday through Sunday, where it will celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Besides being a historic year for the show, it also may be one for the record books, as seven-time defending champion Ronnie Coleman hopes to capture his eighth title and tie Lee Haney's record of eight Mr. Olympias.

Peter McGough, editor-in-chief of Flex magazine, which is owned by American Media Inc., who along with the International Federation of Bodybuilders are both 50 percent owners of the Olympia contest in a joint venture, talked about this year's changes.

"The big thing this year is it's the 40th anniversary," McGough said. "It started in 1965 and Coleman is now going for his eighth title which overtakes Arnold Schwarzenegger's seven. (If he wins) it equals Lee Haney back in the '80s -- he did eight in a row.

"And there's so much about it that has grown, the athletes have grown ... if we go back to 1965, the first winner, Larry Scott, probably weighed 180 pounds. Ronnie Coleman is 110 pounds heavier than that. And there wasn't any prize money the first year, Larry Scott just got a crown. The second year there was $1,000 prize money. This year the total prize money is $711,000."

And that prize money -- $150,000 of which will go to the Mr. Olympia winner -- along with the competitors, aren't the only thing that's grown. The increasing popularity of the show helped convince organizers to move this year's show to a larger venue, The Orleans Arena. Last year's Olympia Weekend was held at Mandalay Bay.

"We found that the arena at The Orleans is much more compact," McGough said. "It holds more people but we had problems with the sightlines at Mandalay Bay and we tested The Orleans and we went to the worst seat in the house and it worked. It's going to be more intimate. This is the place to hold a bodybuilding contest."

Along with the changes in prize money and venue, this year's Olympia Weekend will feature a variety of related events designed to provide maximum entertainment for the bodybuilding enthusiast as well as the casual fan.

One such event is the Wildcard Showdown, an event set for Friday night in which a select group of top-tier pros who haven't qualified for the Mr. Olympia show get a chance to do just that in a winner-take-all -- plus $10,000 in prize money -- competition.

McGough said this event, which he characterized "like a 'Rocky' thing," may be a launching pad to fame for someone.

"We're hoping that the guy that wins it really starts to move up," he said. "That's our ideal story line, he gets in by the skin of his teeth 24 hours before and then makes a great impact on the big (Mr. Olympia) show."

Another new change is in the Challenge Round, where this year the scoring will not count in the overall standings. And this year, there will be a panel of former Mr. Olympias judging this mini-contest between the top five bodybuilders, which will have cash prizes totaling $50,000, McGough explained.

"It's a contest within a contest. The total prize money at stake just for that contest between the top five guys is $50 grand," McGough said. "The great thing about that is because it's the 40th anniversary, the guys that will be judging the Challenge Round will all be former Mr. Olympias. We've got Frank Zane, Larry Scott, Sergio Oliva -- we're still waiting to hear from Arnold, whether or not the governor will be there, that's a long shot -- Samir Bannout, Dorian Yates, all past Mr. Olympias.

"The thing here is we think that they might go a different direction than the judges will in the main contest so there's some potential for some drama and controversy there. You know, it may be a guy from the '70s will go for a guy whose got more of a slender look than the giants we've got today."

Other new features include the Olympia Expo being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center -- a bigger space -- where Ultimate Fighting Championship stars Randy Coture, Chuck Liddell and a number of other UFC champs and contenders also will be doing their thing inside an octagon cage on noon Saturday, two hours before the Ms. Olympia finals begin at 2 p.m.

On Saturday at 7:30 p.m. over at The Orleans Arena, Coleman, Las Vegans Jay Cutler -- who finished second the last two years -- and Chris Cormier, Gunter Schlierkamp, Dennis James, Markus Ruhl and Russian superstar Alexander Federov, the youngest competitor and rookie in the Mr. Olympia competition, will take the stage for the main event, the Mr. Olympia contest.

And it you want to see someone try to bench press more weight than Coleman, Cutler, Cormier and Schlierkamp combined, check out world-record holder (at 1,005 pounds) Gene Rychiak as he attempts to bench 1,105 pounds and set a new record later Saturday night.

"To see someone bench press 1,000 pounds is unbelievable," McGough said. "It's pure coincidence, but it will probably happen around 10:15 (p.m.)"

Tickets for Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend may be purchased at The Orleans Arena box office (284-7777) or by visiting any Coast Casinos box office. Tickets and a full schedule of the entire Olympia Weekend are available online at www.2005olympia.com and www.flexonline.com.

The main event Saturday night also will be broadcast and available on iN DEMAND pay-per-view.