"Arnold won the Olympia and my dad was suspended" - Sergio Oliva's son speaks about his father's conflict with Jim Manion

Sergio Oliva is considered to be one of the legends of bodybuilding. He was a part of the sport's golden era and has won three consecutive Mr. Olympia titles in his career.

Oliva was also the only bodybuilder to defeat Arnold Schwarzenegger at Mr. Olympia. Nicknamed 'The Myth', Sergio defeated Arnold at the 1969 Mr. Olympia. He passed away in 2012. The three-time Mr. Olympia title winner is survived by a son named Sergio Oliva Jr.

Sergio Jr. is also a professional bodybuilder and won the 2017 New York Pro. In a recent video posted on Flex Lewis' YouTube channel, the son of the legendary bodybuilder was involved in an interaction on the podcast, Straight Outta The Lair with Flex Lewis.

During the conversation, it was revealed that Sergio Oliva was suspended in accordance with a rule made by Joe Weider, the co-founder of the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB). On this, Oliva Jr. said,

"He (Sergio Oliva) did some guest posing in Mexico, he jumps off stage and he starts posing in Arnold and Joe's face, right in their face in the crowd and right then, Joe (Weider) makes a rule that you can't compete in another federation and now my dad is suspended for just the Olympia, like suspended for two weeks. That's how smart Joe was. He allowed my dad to guest pose at Olympia I think in 71, he still gets people to buy tickets to come see my dad, but now you can never have Arnold and my dad go against each other. It was very smart. Arnold won the Olympia and my dad was suspended."

In 1971, a new rule was introduced saying that whoever competed in non-sanctioned IFBB events would be suspended by the IFBB for a full year. This resulted in Sergio being banned from competing in the 1971 Mr. Olympia because he had participated in the NABBA Mr. Universe competition in London a week earlier.

Sergio Jr. also claimed that his father had some displeasure towards Jim Manion (IFBB Pro League President) and the seven-time Mr. Olympia title winner Arnold Schwarzenegger as well. He said that no one knows why or what his father went through during his time. Sergio Jr. also stated that he couldn't imagine being the only colored person to win the Mr. Olympia title and not being able to speak English.

The 2017 New York Pro winner said,

"But whatever happened, it was bad. And he kept that grudge for a long time, till the day he died. And he didn't want to go. He was very bitter. I'll never forget, it ended being where Manion went up to my dad, and again, we don't know what happened back then. I'm not going to speak about it, I have no idea."

He added,

"But whatever it was Manion was trying to drop that grudge. He stuck his hand out (at Mr. Olympia) and my dad just left his hand out there. I'm watching this like, I'm competing now, f**k, it was so awkward and Jim Manion walked away."

Sergio Oliva was banned from competing in the 1971 Mr. Olympia because he had partaken in the 1971 NABBA Mr. Universe. Two other competitors, Roy Callender and Franco Columbu, were also disqualified. Arnold Schwarzenegger won the 1971 Mr. Olympia unchallenged. Sergio and Franco were allowed to pose for the crowd for exhibition.

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Sergio Oliva Jr. opens up about his ambitions towards Mr. Olympia

Sergio Oliva Jr. spoke about the Mr. Olympia competition. He said,

"There's a few people in the sport that have came and gone, that if they nail it they are Mr. Olympia. And I feel like if I nail it, I can win the Olympia. I can win any show I want."

The three-time Mr. Olympia title winner's son finished in 16th place at the 2018 Mr. Olympia competition and sixth at the 2021 Arnold Classic. Oliva Jr. hasn't been actively competing in recent times. However, he hasn't quit bodybuilding yet, and so, we may even see him competing for the Mr. Olympia title in the near future.