The 2020 Arnold Sports Expo and Classic bodybuilding event will go on as planned despite FIBO’s announcement that it will postpone their show until the second part of 2020. A lot of questions have been swirling around the fitness and sports nutrition world if the 2020 Arnold Sports Expo would follow in the footsteps of FIBO. FIBO announced that it would postpone their April show to the later part of the year due to the threat of the Coronavirus.
The worry isn’t whether or not the virus exists in Columbus, it comes from whether or not the virus will be transported to Columbus from an international traveler. The Arnold Sports Expo attracts visitors and vendors from all over the world, including the Coronavirus heavy countries from China and Korea. As of today, the US has 60 confirmed cases of Coronavirus, none of which are confirmed in Columbus, OH.
FIBO, the largest fitness expo in the world, was scheduled to take place in Cologne, Germany on April 2-5th. Recent cases of Coronavirus were confirmed near the event in Dusseldorf. The main reason the expo was postponed was not due to this case, but the threat of the virus being brought into the weekend at the expo halls.
We reached out to the Arnold Sports Expo committee regarding the Coronavirus and the potential of postponing or canceling the 2020 Arnold Sports Expo:
February 28, 2020
Statement on Coronavirus (COVID-19)The 2020 Arnold Sports Festival will be held March 5-8 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, Ohio Expo Center and several other venues in Columbus, Ohio. The event will feature 22,000 athletes competing in more than 85 sports and events.
The Arnold Sports Festival does not anticipate any change in schedule due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) but through an abundance of caution is working with all constituents to take the below actions.
- The Arnold Sports Festival is working with our partners at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, the Ohio Expo Center and Mount Carmel Health System to provide on-site information and best practices so that our athletes and attendees can take all necessary precautions.
- The Arnold Sports Festival has posted a link on our website at www.arnoldsportsfestival.com/usa to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov with information about the virus in terms of symptoms, prevention and treatment, and other frequently asked questions. All attendees, athletes and others are encouraged to visit the CDC website.
- The Arnold Medical Team, directed by Mount Carmel Health System, will screen all athletes at check-in during the 2020 Arnold Sports Festival.
- The Greater Columbus Convention Center will have hand sanitizers placed within 20 feet of each other throughout the center during the event. In addition, there will be four (4) EMT Locations and a First Aid room available to all.
Ohio Department of Health representatives encourage all to practice good hygiene through hand washing, coughing into your elbow, staying home if you are sick, etc. The Arnold Sports Festival and our partners will continue to monitor the situation in partnership with health professionals and will take further steps as necessary.
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Fitness Informant's POV
We were scheduled to go to Cologne for the FIBO event for the first-time-ever. We were sad to hear it was postponed, but we understand and respect the decision. We are monitoring this situation closely. We are scheduled to go to Columbus to cover the 2020 Arnold Sports Expo. That is still the plan as of this writing today.
