Olympia producer Tamer El-Guindy dreams with eyes wide open
Tamer El-Guindy is in Manila for the Musclecontest Philippines 2019, which will be held on September 28 at The Tent at Acacia Estates.
Just this past weekend, Tamer El-Guindy posted a photo of himself on Instagram before opening the doors of Olympia in Las Vegas, aptly captioned “Dream with open eyes.”
Here is a man who had a vision and willed it to happen through determination, hard work and sacrifices. He dreamt and saw what others couldn’t even imagine possible.
From a bullied boy, he became a two-time, Mr. USA (2009 and 2011). He is quick to remind everyone, though that success didn’t happen overnight. Failure on stage happened many times before he finally bagged the title.
His fascination and passion for bodybuilding pushed him to volunteer to assist Jon Lindsay in whatever way he could in staging Musclecontest. That was then. The friendship, mentoring and hard work led to Tamer taking over the reins of Musclecontest, not only in the USA but all over the world. Tamer promotes 42 major bodybuilding shows in the US and other countries, such as Brazil, Ireland, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.
But, of course, there is no bigger stage than Olympia. Last April, Dan Solomon, who is the head of Olympia, named Tamer as the 2019 producer of the four-day event. When the announcement was made, Tamer was busy promoting Arnold Classic South America in Brazil.
Joe Weider’s Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend is the fitness industry’s annual showcase event, which happened from Sept. 12 to 15 in Las Vegas. American Media, LLC chairman and CEO David J. Pecker announced in a release: “Under the direction of our new chief Olympia officer Dan Solomon, the production team is full speed ahead. And with a total prize purse of nearly $1.5 million, including $400,000 to the Mr. Olympia champion, the 2019 Olympia competition is the most lucrative competition in the category, by a wide margin. I’m also excited to share that plans are currently in the works to increase prize money for the women’s events to an all-time high.”
American Media owns Olympia, as well as Muscle & Fitness, Hers, Flex, among other newsstand and digital media properties, with a total audience reach of more than 120 million. This year’s Olympia received the heaviest promotion ever in its history.
Solomon hired a set of fresh eyes in Tamer as the event’s producer. “The Olympia started out simply as a bodybuilding contest,” says Solomon. “As the years passed, it grew into a weekend-long fitness extravaganza. Now, in its 55th year, the Olympia stands tall as a global brand, an international symbol of achievement, and one of the fitness industry’s most prestigious and celebrated traditions.”
Fresh from the exhilarating success of the Olympia, Tamer arrives in Manila to oversee the second year of Musclecontest Philippines.
This athlete registration and weigh-in will happen at Venice Grand Canal Mall in Taguig this Sept. 27. Tamer will conduct a free posing workshop in the afternoon. The following day, Musclecontest Philippines 2019 will unfold in The Tent at Acacia Estates.
Six IFBB Pro Cards will be awarded again this year. Last year in Subic, Musclecontest Philippines made history as it gave IFBB Pro Cards for the first time in the country. Just like last year, the evening will be capped by the IFBB Bikini Pro contest.
Incidentally, the Miss Bikini Olympia winner this year is Elisa Pecini. She also won 2019 Musclecontest Nacional Pro Bikini, 2018 Musclecontest Brazil Pro Bikini and 2018 Musclecontest Nacional Pro Bikini.
Twenty-two-year-old Elisa hails from Sumaré, Brazil. She was bulimic and anorexic as a teenager. From age 13 to 15, she suffered from anorexia nervosa, starving herself until her body weight fell to dangerous levels. After hospitalization and a month of intensive treatment, Elisa decided to get back to a healthy weight through exercise and proper nutrition.
After eight months of regular gym workouts and healthy eating habits, Elisa was 123 pounds. Empowered by her transformation, she decided to compete.
“My debut was March 27, 2015, in Rio de Janeiro,” she recalled. “The sensation was incredible, being onstage despite being very shy. My heart was racing. I finished third, and when I got offstage I wanted to do it again.” She took physical education in college and became a bikini athlete, winning her pro card at the age of 19.
Two Brazilians, indeed, made history in the 2019 Olympia. Elisa Pecini conquered the stage, while Tamer El-Guindy staged the herculean event.
Cheers to dreaming with eyes wide open!
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Post me a note at mylene@goldsgym.com.ph or mylenedayrit@gmail.com.
