Tag: Jake Wood
Jake Wood Might Require “Doctor’s Clearance” For Bodybuilders To Compete At Olympia
Jake Wood continues to attempt to make the sport of bodybuilder a safer environment.
Olympia President Jake Wood has been an advocate of safety moving forward. The sport of bodybuilding. He has spoken out about possible changes and plans that could be coming in the future. Recently, Wood revealed another plan that includes athletes getting clearance from a doctor before competing at the biggest competition of the year.
Wood joined The Menace Podcast on the Muscle and Fitness YouTube page to discuss the current happenings in bodybuilding. This includes the recent deaths that have happened around the bodybuilding world. This has caused Wood to reconsider some aspects and one could be getting some outside help from doctors.
“I thought about it, you know. What about at the Olympia? What if we said, “Hey before you come, you need to get a doctor’s clearance just like the NFL does at the beginning of the season?” We could do that.”
Of course, this is just discussion at this point and it would require some planning by Jake Wood. During the interview, it was suggested that this could begin as early as amateur level for bodybuilders. Before earning their pro card, competitors could get checked out before receiving their step forward.
“I think that would be a step in the right direction, as long as it’s done correctly. Of course, who established the criteria and what are they testing for and when do you say that it’s no good. I mean, when do you say you failed the test?”
The bodybuilding world lost George Peterson prior to the 2021 Olympia and this was a huge shock. Unfortunately, it was not the only loss and Wood has been speaking out in order to make the sport safer.
In August, Alena Kosinova passed away while preparing for the Europa Pro. This is when Jake Wood made a statement on the future.
“I AM DEEPLY SHAKEN BY THE LOSS OF ALENA. I AM NOT ONE FOR EMPTY WORDS. INSTEAD OF MAKING POSTS I’M MAKING CHANGES. I HAD A PRODUCTIVE MEETING WITH JIM AND TYLER MANION THIS MORNING AND WE’RE ALL SICKENED BY THIS TURN OF EVENTS. WE AGREED THAT CONDITIONING IS OVER EMPHASIZED IN THE JUDGING CRITERIA AND SOMETHING MUST BE DONE. I WILL PUSH FOR CHANGE IN ALL DIVISIONS,” Jake Wood said following the death of Kosinova.
It is unknown how Jake Wood could put together a set of rules to enforce this. It does not seem as simple as a doctor’s clearance. This is a plan that might not be put into motion but the face that Wood mentioned it is telling.
It is clear that the sport needs to become safer. This was a difficult year with many losing their lives and Wood is part of a group that believes it will change.
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Olympia President Jake Wood Confirms Return Of Masters Olympia in 2023
Jake Wood wanted to bring the show back this year but will definitely have it in 2023.
It has been a decade since the Masters Olympia competition was seen on stage. On Sunday, Olympia President Jake Wood confirmed that the competition is coming back and it will take place in 2023.
The Masters Olympia began in 1994 where Robby Robinson took home the first title. It was stopped in 2012 and Dexter Jackson was the final champion. This came after the competition was paused from 2004-2011. Now, it will return for the 2023 year and it could have been even sooner.
Wood joined The Menace Podcast on the Muscle & Fitness YouTube page to discuss the topic. He admitted there were plans to bring the competition back this year but it was unable to happen.
“Absolutely yeah, as a matter of fact, we had started plans to have the Masters Olympia in Romania this upcoming year. After looking at the immigration policies of people actually getting in, we decided it’s too risky for such a big event,” Jake wood said.
Wood continues by claiming that this event deserves its own weekend rather than being included during the Olympia weekend. The event will be held in Romania. The age requirement for the event is something that is important but unknown at the moment.
When asked about a timeframe, Wood said “definitely by 2023.”
“I think that would be too much at the Olympia weekend. No, I think it deserves better treatment than that. We definitely want to have it. It’s going to start happening here, something has to happen,” jake wood said.
The age requirement of the event will be interesting because many top bodybuilders in Men’s Open are around 40 years old. Brandon Curry is 39 while reigning two-time Olympia champion Big Ramy is 37. The magic number cold be 45 yers old when thinking of the requirement.
“Well, what do you change? You change the age requirement. Where do you set the bar as far as the age? At first, we said we would like it to be at forty and above. Wood stated. Well, there’s still a lot of the top guys who are right there. So, you know, the men’s open, and all the other classes too. I think maybe 45, might be the mark.”
This is an exciting announcement coming from Jake Wood. After the competition has been absent for a decade, it will have a chance to return and give competitors a chance to compete no matter their age.
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Olympia Promoter Reacts to Alena Kosinova’s Passing, Suggests Judging Changes
Jake Wood is concerned about the modern judging in bodybuilding.
When people think about the most dangerous sports in the world, many fail to consider bodybuilding among them. A great deal would consider football, boxing, and mixed martial arts as some of the most dangerous. That said, bodybuilding can be severely dangerous as we unfortunately saw just last week.
Women’s Bodybuilder Alena Kosinova recently lost her life this past weekend. Just ahead of the Europa Pro the talented Kosinova would unfortunately lose her life while prepping for the show. Because of the criteria in bodybuilding, conditioning is a major part of being able to secure victory.
In the modern era, being insanely shredded has become a necessity. But it’s a necessity that has cost the lives of a number of athletes in the sport. After the passing of Alena Kosinova it appears that the owner and promoter of Olympia Jake Wood is showing concern for the athletes. In particular, it appears that Wood is questioning the judging criteria if shows.
A recent post to social media shows a message that Jake Wood apparently wrote in regards to the bodybuilding judging criteria.
I am deeply shaken by the loss of Alena. I am not one for empty words. Instead of making posts I’m making changes. I had a productive meeting with Jim and Tyler Manion this morning and we’re all sickened by this turn of events. We agreed that conditioning is over emphasized in the judging criteria and something must be done. I will push for change in all divisions.
Coaches and athletes play their part too. I will not say anymore here as it may be counter productive. Criticize me and my organizations you may, I don’t care. What I do care about is greater athlete safety.
With that said, I will admit that we’ve been slow to post a memorial. I am just dumbfounded by the meaning of this and am determined to prevent it in the future. I had utmost respect for Alena Hatvani. I want her passing to have meaning that lasts.
This was not posted on any of Jake Wood’s official social media accounts. That said it would appear that Wood is legitimately concerned with about the athletes.
What do you think about the judging criteria in modern bodybuilding?
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Managing Editor at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.