The 2020 World’s Strongest Man Competition Is Postponed Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic

Another global athletic event is officially on hold. Officials for the World’s Strongest Man competition announced that the 2020 event will be postponed in light of the current global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and will now take place closer to the the end of the year.

The news about the postponement came via press release and a post on the competition’s website. The championship event, which was originally scheduled to take place May 20 to 24 in Bradenton, Florida, will now occur in mid-November at the same site. The qualifying rounds will take place November 11 to 12, while the finals will happen a few days later, on November 14 to 15.

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Due to global health concerns regarding COVID-19 (coronavirus) and restrictions and advice from local, state and federal government authorities, this year’s World’s Strongest Man competition in Bradenton, Florida set to take place May 20 – 24 has been postponed. The finals will be held November 14 – 15, following qualifying rounds November 11 – 12, both on Anna Maria Island in Bradenton, Florida. The health and safety of our competitors, fans, partners, volunteers and staff remains our top priority. We thank you for your support and patience and hope that you will be able to join us in Bradenton this November.

A post shared by The World's Strongest Man (@theworldsstrongestman) on Apr 7, 2020 at 11:49am PDT

“The health and safety of everyone involved in World’s Strongest Man remains our top priority,” a spokesperson for the organization said in the official statement emailed to Men’s Health. “We thank our competitors, fans, partners, volunteers and staff for their patience and support, and look forward to welcoming everyone in Bradenton, Florida in November.”

Brian Shaw, Martins Licis (winner of the 2020 Arnold Strongman USA and current WSM titleholder), Hafthor Björnsson (winner of the Arnold Strongman Classic 2020) and Eddie Hall, all previous winners of the sports competition, were all anticipated to be participate in the four-day competition in some form. None of the athletes have made statements about the delay from any of their social media accounts as of publication, but the news will be sure to spur some response from the active YouTubers. Even before the official postponement, Shaw and Björnsson have both outlined lofty goals for the layoff training period: Shaw will attempt to work up to a 701 pound bench press, while Björnsson will aim to break Hall’s deadlift record with a 501 kilogram (1,104.52 pound) lift.

This is not the first strongman competition to hit roadblocks this year due to the pandemic. Early last month, the expo portion of the Arnold Sports Festival was postponed while its competitive events, including the Strongman Classic, were held without an audience. There has been no word as to official new dates. The biggest sporting event of the year, the Summer Olympics, were moved to 2021.

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