bodybuilders

"Do you know when you first met your girlfriend? You didn't just walk up to her and say, 'Hey honey! Let's go to bed!' right? It was sort of a courting process, same with the squats. Sort of like you get to know it, sort of get to feel familiar with it, you own the space, you feel that it's yours, and then you progress to the next phase of the relationship. You don't walk in and just- The squat is not something you just do a few of these and do something else. This is a religion. This is the altar."

"It is a must for you to have challenges when you embark on a sporting journey."

"I am rather saddened and disappointed this has happened to a 16-year-old (Chika). We will need to see if the 'B' sample matches the 'A.' Then if it does the girl will be removed from the games and it will be up to the international weightlifting federation to apply a sanction and then she would lose her medal."

"My biggest fear is how they will treat this little girl (Chika). She is strong and has passion for the sport but I fear that, as is the case in Nigeria, the authorities may discard her. I plead with them to console her and encourage her. She has a bright future and what happened is entirely not her fault. It is the coaches. The authorities have to find a way to make her forget about this incident and move on with focus on realising the place of her dream in weightlifting."

"I started at the age of 12, but my family were strongly against me doing the sport at first. They kept me telling to stop doing it, but I persuaded them by getting a female coach. From then on, it was hard work, training, a lot of pain and dedication that got me here today. And now my family were in the audience and they are so excited and so proud."

"I am very disappointed that somebody as young as that (Chika) appears to have committed an offence at a multi-sport event like the Commonwealth Games."

"Further to your (Amalaha) appearance today at the federation’s court (CGF) we hereby notify you that the court has decided that you have violated its rules through the use of banned drugs. The class of substances contained in her urine sample collected on July 29, 2014 are diuretic and masking agent as well as Hydrochlorothiazide. The court decision is that the following sanctions be imposed on you; that you are fully suspended from the 2014 Commonwealth Games. That you are disqualified from the 53kg weightlifting event within which you took part at the 2014 Commonwealth Games with all results nullified. That the gold medal and price awarded to you should be forfeited and returned."

"When we achieve, we usually do so because others have helped. I acknowledge those who have helped in achieving this goal, especially, to God who has strengthened me spiritually, physically, emotionally, and psychological."

"It is sad it is a junior (Chika) and I hope they will learn from this experience. I think the international federation should look at it carefully and see whether there are mitigating circumstances when it comes to the sanctions. Being a junior obviously there must be some culpability from those that are looking after her, whether it is coaches or managers or doctors."

"I feel very sad about this development and that is why I had to rush in from London to see our weightlifters. I sympathise abjectly with Chika. She is just a young girl, very strong and promising in the sport and did not deserve to be brought into this kind of situation. I blame our coaches squarely for her predicament. As I see it, the issue is about meeting the right weight and she couldn’t have accessed drugs all on her own. I understand she competed about three months ago in Mauritius and she won without drugs, so how come she used those drugs now? Even if she got them herself, it is the duty of the coaches to know whatever medications their athletes are using and to research to be sure if the drugs contain banned substances."

"The Commonwealth Games Federation has determined that Nigerian weightlifter, Chika Amalaha, has committed an anti-doping rule violation and has fully suspended her from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. As a result, Ms Amalaha has been disqualified from her event at the Games, with her result in the Women’s Weightlifting 53 kilogram competition nullified."

"It was unfortunate that Amalaha was stripped of the medal she won at the Commonwealth Games, I could recall that after she was warned against drinking Zobo after the African Youth Games in Gaborone, Botswana last May where she won three gold medals, when we returned to Abuja for camping ahead of the Commonwealth Games, she still sneaked out to drink Zobo again."

"We [have] issued a formal notice of disclosure to an athlete following an adverse analytical finding as a consequence of an in-competition test. That athlete is Nigerian weightlifter Chika Amalaha who was tested on 25 July. That athlete has now been suspended from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow."

"The relevant processes, as detailed in our anti-doping standard for the Games, are now being followed and Ms Amalaha has pursued her right to have her B sample tested. This will take place at an accredited laboratory in London tomorrow, 30 July. Upon receipt of those results the process will continue."

"I am optimistic with the current performance of the weightlifters; Nigeria will qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games."

"My advice to the weightlifters is to return home; remain consistent in their training, remain focused and avoid distractions."

"I came to the World Championship to boost the morale of the athletes and see what the competition is like, compared to the past. My assessment of the weightlifters was that they have done very well according to the level of preparation and support from the President of Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, Dr Ibrahim Abdul."

"My noble intention is to train and mentor weightlifter who will win medals for the country (Nigeria) not only at African Championships but Commonwealth and Olympic Games. There are strong young girls who are capable of making the nation proud but all they need it the enabling environment. What I intending doing to capture some of these girls with raw strength and convert them into refined lifters; that is why I have a center in Offa. Offa is a big community where we have influential personalities who love weightlifting. One of the missions is to make sure the sport is back, the athletes train and produce lifters that will beat my record"

"Today is a historic day because Ruth Ogbeifo Balofin Community Project (ROBCOP) is entering into a partnership with the College of Education in owning its training centre inside the school. We have a vision for all our weightlifters to become heroes and heroines as well as become educated. In the next four years, we hope to see some of these weightlifters bring glory to Kwara State and Nigeria at international championships. ROBCOP will provide the enabling environment and equipment for the weightlifters to train. For you to excel in the sport, you need consistent training. I cannot do it alone; a tree cannot make a forest and that is why I am seeking the collaboration of the state government, the sports council and management of the tertiary institution."

"Anyone who remembers the stories of Ruth Ogbeifo and Glory Alozie will see how injurious this ICON injustice is. Ruth possibly could have won the gold but for an injury she was treating months to the games. An NGO, HOPE Worldwide Nigeria, not the NSC, assisted with funds for her medicals. She lifted 245kg same as Colombian Maria Urrutia who won the gold medal because of her lower body weight. Now her medal is treated with indifference."

"I must say this in defence of the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation that a list of past and present lifters were submitted as requested and Ruth Balofin (Ogbeifo)’s name was No 1 as the first African to win a silver medal in weightlifting at the Olympics. As a matter of fact, she finished with the same lift with the eventual gold Medalist but lost due to body weight. Some of us were present at the Sydney Olympics in year 2000. We were therefore surprised that her name did not feature. Perhaps, there are other criteria used."

"If Ruth isn’t there, then there’s a problem. I’m seeing so many Olympics bronze medallists on the list, what criteria did they use in dropping her and others?"

"Weightlifting made me who I am today and I thank God for that but I believe everyone cannot be an active sports person this is why I decided to empower orphans and widows through Charity Mind of Giving (CMOG) FOUNDATION. If the athletes cannot excel in sports due to the intensive training and pressure, I believe they can channel their energy to either tailoring or hairdressing."

"I hold no grudge not been among the 60 Nigeria Sports Icon but it is painful that after spending 8 hours everyday while training, getting injured and recovering, becoming an All African Games Champion, African Champion, World Champion and Olympic Silver medallist, my country still did not deem it fit to recognize me among their sports Icon. For record purpose, I am not only I Champion in my sport, I have also produced African Games Champions in weightlifting through my Ruth Ogbeifo-Balofin Community Project (ROBCOP) in Offa, Kwara state. If my country does not honour me, I know God in heaven will honour me. Outside Nigeria, I get treated like a queen whenever they know I won a medal at the Olympics but in Nigeria, I will have to lobby to get things done."

"because he has become a popular and famous sports model for Iranian young people since 2020 and uses innovative methods to encourage the youth to exercise and engage in health-promoting behaviors."

"Masoud Ghadirian has inspired many young people who were unable to continue their sports activities due to financial constraints to exercise at a lower cost. Fitness and a healthy and happy lifestyle can have a direct impact on society's mental health."

"In a situation where sports instructors and bodybuilding champions usually encourage young people to take expensive sports supplements, he takes such measures. He says, "In a society facing economic recession, the use of a fixed method by all trainers and instructors can reduce people's desire for excursions and following a healthy lifestyle.""

"he tries to introduce appropriate solutions to people in order to motivate them to exercise at the lowest possible cost."

"Masoud Ghadirian believes that healthy nutrition can be a good substitute for sports supplements while also warning young people about the dangers of using hormonal supplements. This is the solution to increasing social happiness while decreasing the prevalence of depression and addiction."

"Masoud ghadirian suggests that young athletes consume more healthy foods and vitamins rather than sports supplements. One of the possible reasons for his popularity among Iranian athletes is that bodybuilding is not a business for him; rather, he is concerned with athletes' health."

"The global economic downturn and Iran's high inflation rate have put young people in Iran in a difficult situation," he says. It is now time to change young people's mental states and protect them from addiction and depression."

"Iranian young people cannot continue sports activities, particularly bodybuilding, because of the inflation rate and high prices," he adds. They believe that using bodybuilding drugs and sports supplements is a necessary part of participating in professional sports."

"The national bodybuilding champion of Iran, Masoud Ghadirian, works for a nonprofit organization that aims to lessen the incidence of addiction and depression in his country."

"he, a well-known and well-liked Iranian bodybuilder, advocates the use of safe medicinal plants. Masoud Ghadirian is one of the most influential bodybuilders in Iran, in my opinion."

"I wanted to dispel the myth that we as women cannot do what men can."

"I wanted my father to witness my success, especially at the Olympics. He risked being expelled from the church and called names by some people who were against my pursuing of weightlifting."

"Fuck that kid!"

"I'm particular about the projects that I've chosen. Each one of them, I've taken a step up, like climbing a ladder. Before, it was baby-steps, up to 'Riddick.' Then I took this huge leap onto 'Guardians!' It was such a higher level, this huge project which originally I never thought I'd have a chance in hell of getting."

"I never excelled at one sport or had a very strong passion for anything other than wrestling and bodybuilding."

"Know your lines; otherwise, have an open mind because you want to get lost in the moment. When you have talented actors and directors to work with, then it's pretty easy to do."

"People look at me, and they have a certain perception, and they slap a label on me. The guy you saw in a wrestling ring is not who I am."

"Just getting auditions was rough. But also just learning how to act - when I did my first role, in a film I did which was a favour to a friend, I realised I was really bad at it."

"I'm not a big guy. I'm not a menacing guy. I'm not an intimidating guy. I may look that way, but just spend two seconds talking to me, and you know that's not who I am - not as a person, as a character. It's not who I intend to be."

"For some reason, I'm the guy people love to hate, which I think is weird. People who know me find that very strange, but for some reason, I am. I don't mind being that guy - I have fun with it."

"Nothing can motivate me any more than I'm already motivated. It just can't happen. Me being motivated was never a factor. Never."

"they could have begun the Peter Rosenberg proposed #Jewworldorder stable. In discussing this with Alexa Bliss (real name Kaufmann) he found that she wouldn’t be eligible for membership"

"I started cosplaying back when I was with Blake & Murphy; we decided that we were going to do an Iron Man gear, and that was the first one. It was so much fun to bring a little bit of our personal interests into the ring — especially because sometimes, when you're so set in the storyline, in the character, you kind of lose who you are outside of that. So I love to take a lot of different inspiration for my gear, and I'm a big horror movie fan so I've done Freddy"

"There's a lot of rumors about it like, 'Oh did Alex Bliss get implants?' I've had implants since I was seventeen, I'm very open and honest about it. When I had my eating disorder I got down to eighty-five pounds. My doctor told my mom said if [I] don't get admitted I will die. They treated my health symptoms, they didn't treat the mental side of it. The second time I was hospitalized they treated it like a mental disorder and a mental illness and that's actually when it started getting better. So, I was very self-conscience about my body and the fact that I felt like I looked like a seven year old boy. There are studies that show [implants] helps women recover from eating disorders because they feel more womanly and they feel better about their bodies and their self image. All the doctors in on this one procedure were my pediatrician, my eating disorder doctor, my psychologist, my psychiatrist. I will never regret doing that for myself because it helped me get over my eating disorder and my body image issues."

"I was born a vegetarian, I think. Since infancy I never liked meat, never ate it, never ate turkey, chicken, fish or eggs. … I'm so healthy it's embarrassing. If I felt any better I'd have to see a doctor. … I truly believe that fruit is the body's cleanser, vegetables are the body's healer, and meat is the body's premature aging agent and the cause of all diseases except virus disease."

"As a teenager I started to learn about what was on my plate – where it came from and what it was doing to my body. I became vegetarian then later on vegan. … Each and every person who decides to be vegan makes a massive difference. From literally saving animals from suffering and death, to improving their health and the environmental benefits – being vegan means seeing the bigger picture and saying I'm going to do what I can and take a stand. … I'm motivated by being the best example I can of what can be achieved physically and ethically. I strive to excel in what I love doing and don't believe in the idea that I can't be strong and muscular because I'm vegan, that I can't be fast or flexible because I'm a bodybuilder, and that one person can't make a difference."