World’s Largest Multi-Sports Festival Arnold Classic Launches Inaugural Asia Event In Hong Kong This August

What started out as a bodybuilding competition co-founded by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the US over 40 years ago (Arnie launched it in Worthington, Ohio in 1989) has morphed into the world’s largest fitness and sports event. Incredibly, Arnold Classic takes place yearly on five continents (Australia, South Africa, US, Brazil, Spain) and is finally launching in Asia with their Hong Kong debut this August 20th and 21st at Asia World Expo. The event draws crowds of tens of thousands: over 500, 000 people attended an Arnold Classic in the last year alone.

Arnold Classic Asia’s mission is to celebrate sports and engage with all ages and all levels of participants from fitness beginners to die-hard gym fanatics, from amateur sports star to international champions. “Fitness teaches you things you could never learn in a classroom or boardroom.[It’s] a way of life, ” says Schwarzenegger. With global health crises dominating headlines and our increasingly high-tech lifestyles elevating stress levels across the board, we need sports in our lives now more than ever and we at Green Queen are proud and honored to be a Supporting Partner.  

Arnold Classic Asia actually comprises of three concurrent events:

• the Arnold Classic IFBB Pro Show, involving Strongman and Bodybuilding during which the strongest men and women on the planet will perform jaw-dropping demonstrations, as well as the Women’s Pro Fitness event, an all-star show of gymnastics, dance and acrobatics;
• the Arnold Schwarzenegger Seminar, a chance to hear the man himself speak about his boundary-defying career from world’s greatest bodybuilder to successful businessman, from environmental activist to Governor of California);
• and finally the Arnold Classic Asia Multi-Sport Festival, the biggest of its kind, essentially a massive celebration of each and every type of sports, we are talking everything from chess to fencing to football! But also: arm-wrestling, judo, kettle ball, rugby, jump rope, yoga, Krav Maga and a dozen others. You can get involved by watching epic sports performances and competitions, hobnobbing with thousands of celebrity athletes, both international names and local Hong Kong stars, participating in endless sports workshops and browsing the 300-strong wellness marketplace (don’t forget to come say hi to yours truly at booth P19) that will showcase the industry’s best health & fitness brands, services, companies and products-think health foods, snacks, supplements, superfoods, protein powders and activewear among many others. 

The Multi-Sports Festival’s highlights include Israeli martial arts Krav Maga self-defense class with Derek Poon, Director of International Krav Maga Federation, large scale family yoga classes led by Epic Yoga‘s master Hari Krishna, amateur ping pong tournaments organized by the Hong Kong Table Tennis Association, a Hong Kong Fencing Association competition for fencers of all abilities, cycling and rowing heat races run by the Hong Kong China Rowing Association and discover brand new sport Street Workout through demos and workshops by The World Street Workout and Calisthenics Federation. 

The Festival is also extremely kiddie-friendly: there are weekend-long touch rugby matches for the little ones run by the Hong Kong Rubgy Union (including a chance for them to take a selfie with national team stars!) and a multi-day chess tournament open to juniors and judged by the Hong Kong Chess Federation.  

If health & wellness are your thing, you cannot afford to miss out: mark your diaries for the weekend of August 20-21 2016 and make sure to visit the Green Queen booth.

Day tickets for the Multi-Sports Festival start at HKD 150 per person (HKD 80 for Students/Under 18 years, free for under 12s) and HKD 389 for the IFBB Pro Show. 

Get your Arnold Classic Asia tickets before it’s too late. 

All photos courtesy of Arnold Classic Asia.