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 By: Matt Weik
The Ms. Olympia is a professional female bodybuilding contest organized by the International Federation of Bodybuilders. It was first held in 1980 which began it all. The contest was initially promoted by George Snyder. In order to qualify for the Ms. Olympia, contestants had to send in resumes and pictures which were then hand-picked by Snyder. He look through all the applicants and based his chosen contestants on their potential to be role models in the fitness industry. Rachel McLish owned the stage in the early 1980's, however in 1981 she lost her crown to Kike Elomaa after finishing second. McLish trained hard the following year and regained the title in 1982. In 1982 George Snyder lost the rights to the Ms. Olympia contest. From this point forward, the contestants were no longer hand-picked by anyone. In order to qualify for the Olympia, contestants now had to do it through placings in the lesser contests throughout the year. As the sport began to grow, so did the competitors' level of training. In the earlier years of the Olympia, most competitors showed little weight training experience in their physiques. Then in 1983 the sport slowly evolved into a more muscular physique for shows.
In 1984 a new face emerged in the sport with the arrival of Cory Everson. Her physique would set a new standard for the sport. Everson won the NPC Nationals and then took the title away from McLish at the Olympia to take home the trophy. Everson came into the show weighing 150 pounds at 5'9". She then went on to be the only woman to ever win six consecutive Ms. Olympia titles before she decided to retire.
All this attention on the sport of women's bodybuilding helped the sport go mainstream. However, all of this extra attention on the competitors caused some controversy and also some suspensions. Anita Gandol decided to bare it all by posing for Playboy in the mid-1980's. By doing so, she earned herself a one year suspension from the IFBB for her actions. Then in 1987, Erika Mes decided she would show some skin also by posing nude for the Belgian issue of Playboy which also earned her a one year suspension as well from the sport. NBC saw a great market for the sport of bodybuilding and for several years in the mid-1980's they broadcasted the Ms. Olympia on their network. Although the footage wasn't live and was usually used to fill out television programs which ended early, the attention on the sport was still there.
In 1990, the Women's Pro World contest was cancelled. Competitors normally had to qualify for the Ms. Olympia by placing in some of the lesser contests. With the Cancellation of the Women's Pro World, that left only the Ms. International as the qualifier for the Olympia. The IFBB decided to then allow all competitors with their pro cards to enter. Lenda Murray took the title this year became the next dominant figure in women's bodybuilding since the retirement of Cory Everson. The Ms. Olympia contest was televised live for the first time in 1991. Bev Francis gave Lenda Murray a real challenge, but Murray finished out on top with Francis placing second. Francis in the previous years had more of a powerlifters physique and in 1991 she changed her physique to more of a bodybuilder and came into the contest noticeably larger. In 1992, the judges began looking to change the look of the sport from a big muscular physique, to a more feminizing one. They were told to look for competitors who were not overly big and that they were looking for a more feminine physique to win this year. After all the changes and controversy, Lenda Murray changed her look was named the winner. After the contestants and fans complained about the new judging rules, they were rewritten for the 1992 Ms. Olympia. They were still looking for aesthetics, but they allowed for a more muscular physique once again. Lenda Murray continued her dominance all the way through 1995. Murray tied the record of six consecutive Ms. Olympia titles, which was currently held by Cory Everson. 1996 dethroned the runt that Lenda Murray had going. Kim Chizevsky won the title for her first time after placing second to a virtually unbeatable Murray in the past couple contests. After Murray's loss to Chizevsky, she decided to give it one more go in 1996 where again she was unsuccessful. Chizevsky won again and Murray announced her retirement from competition. The Ms. Olympia was contested outside the United States for the first time in November 1984, when the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier Place Des Arts Theatre in Montreal, Canada, hosted the event. A total of 24 contestants competed with Cory Everson winning the first of her six Ms. O titles.
The 1999 Olympia was to be held on October 9th, but a month before the scheduled contest, the IFBB announced that the contest was cancelled because of the withdrawal of promoter Jarka Kastnerova. The reasoning was due to financial issues that also included a low number of tickets that were sold in advance for the contest. In a last minute attempt, several sources came together as sponsors. Most of the funds for the contest came from Flex magazine ($50,000). Even after all the commotion, Chizevsky once again took home the title giving her four consecutive Ms. Olympia titles. Since the year 2000 the Ms. Olympia has been held at the same time as the Mr. Olympia contest as part of the "Olympia Weekend". The 2000 contest also saw the introduction of weight classes. Several changes were in the making for the 2000 Ms. Olympia contest. Presentation would factor into the competitors' scores this year. Jim Manion sent out a letter to all the competitors stating that judges would be scoring based on healthy appearance, face, makeup, and skin tone. This year Kim Chizevsky decided to retire from bodybuilding and pursue fitness competition; therefore allowing for a new champion this year. For the first time in the Ms. Olympia history, there was no overall winner this year which allowed both Valentina Chepiga and Andrulla Blanchette to be Ms. Olympia champions. 2001 had one of the most unexpected winners the Ms. Olympia contest has ever seen. After coming back from a 12 year hiatus, Juliette Bergmann returned to competition at the age of 42 and came out of no where to win the title. This year began a pose down between the two class winners (heavyweight and lightweight), which decided the overall title. Bergmann entered the Olympia as a lightweight, and defeated Iris Kyle who was the heavyweight for 2001. In 2002, Lenda Murray came back from a five year break to set a new record and won her seventh overall Ms. Olympia. A record was in the making for 2003. Lenda Murray won her either overall Ms. Olympia title which set a new record, setting the standard for all of the Olympia winners. In 2004, Jim Manion introduced the 20% rule which asked that female athletes in Bodybuilding, Fitness, and Figure decrease the amount of muscularity they have by a factor of 20%. Also this year during the Olympia, Lenda Murray went for her ninth title but lost in the Heavyweight class to Iris Kyle. In 2005, the contest returned to the one open class format which eliminated the weight classes. This year a new Ms. Olympia winner was born when Yaxeni Oriquen defeated defending champion Iris Kyle.
(pictures do not necessarily represent that year or the Olympia contest)
1. Rachel McLish
1. Kike Elomaa
1. Rachel McLish
1. Carla Dunlap
1. Cory Everson
1. Cory Everson
1. Cory Everson
1. Cory Everson
1. Cory Everson * Tonya Knight was disqualified after the IFBB learned that someone had taken her drug test for her during the contest.
1. Cory Everson
1. Lenda Murray
1. Lenda Murray
1. Lenda Murray
1. Lenda Murray
1. Lenda Murray
1. Lenda Murray
1. Kim Chizevsky
1. Kim Chizevsky
1. Kim Chizevsky
1. Kim Chizevsky
+135 Pounds
 2. Vickie Gates 3. Lesa Lewis 4. Yaxeni Oriquen 5. Iris Kyle 6. Denise Hosher 7. Theresa Bostick -135 Pounds
 2. Brenda Raganot 3. Renee Casella 4. Cathy LeFrancois Priest 5. Jennifer McVicar
Overall: Juliette Bergmann +135 Pounds
 2. Vickie Gates 3. Yaxeni Oriquen 4. Valentina Chepiga 5. Lesa Lewis 6. Betty Pariso 7. Heather Foster -135 Pounds
 2. Andrulla Blanchette 3. Dayana Cadeau 4. Brenda Raganot 5. Gayle Moher 6. Renee Casella 7. Kim Harris 8. Fannie Barrois 9. Angela DeBatin 10. Joanna Thomas
Overall: Lenda Murray +135 Pounds
 2. Iris Kyle 3. Vickie Gates 4. Yaxeni Oriquen 5. Dayana Cadeau 6. Nancy Lewis 7. Betty Viana 8. Beth Roberts -135 Pounds
 2. Valentina Chepiga 3. Fannie Barrois 4. Sophie Duquette 5. Angela Debatin 6. Laura Creavalle 7. Susanne Neiderhauser
Overall: Lenda Murray +135 Pounds
 2. Iris Kyle 3. Yaxeni Oriquen 4. Betty Viana 5. Helle Nielsen 6. Betty Pariso 7. Vickie Gates -135 Pounds
 2. Dayana Cadeau 3. Denise Masino 4. Cathy Priest 5. Angela Debatin 6. Fannie Barrois 7. Kim Harris 8. Rosemary Jennings
Overall: Iris Kyle +135 Pounds
 2. Lenda Murray 3. Yaxeni Oriquen 4. Betty Pariso-Carmichael 5. Betty Viana 6. Lisa Aukland 7. Bonny Priest -135 Pounds
 2. Denise Masino 3. Marja Lehtonen 4. Joanna Thomas 5. Desiree Ellis 6. Mah Ann Mendoza 7. Nancy Lewis 8. Velentina Chepiga 9. Vilma Caez
1. Yaxeni Oriquen
What are the members of Bodybuilding.com saying about the 2006 Ms. Olympia? Predictions:
"1.Yaxeni
"I would like to see Jitka win one. This lady has a very symmetrical physique. Iris is a great FBB but since she started disrespecting the queen Lenda Murray, she somewhat fell from grace with me. It will most likely go down between Iris and Yaxeni for the 1 and 2 spot, with Jitka and Brenda battling for third."
"I'd personally like to see Yaxeni win again. IMHO, she has the size, the shape AND she looks feminine. I've never really been a fan of Iris. When Kim won, I don't think she looked her best. She had the size but her shape didn't appeal to me."
"I really like Yaxeni's look but someone who I am really liking is Jitka Harazimova I see her placing high this year. 1.Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia 2.Jitka Harazimova 3.Dayana Cadeau 4.Iris Kyle 5.Bonnie Priest It is no secret I am a huge fan of Bonnie's! My fingers are crossed for her this year."
"I think Jitka Harazimova and Bonnie Priest will be battling it out for 4th and 5th Iris and Yaxeni for 1st and 2nd but I personally prefer Yaxeni's physique. Great lines and symmetry, size, lean without being overly ripped so she still looks feminine. I don't really follow intensively like I do with the male bodybuilding, but I still find it interesting and hope to watch when I get the O on pay-per-view. I think women can have muscle and still be beautiful. If anything they even have an exotic appeal because of having some muscle."
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