GNC Returns As Title Sponsor of 23rd Annual Arnold Sports Festival

Nation’s largest specialty retailer of sports nutrition products returns for 11^th year

COLUMBUS, Ohio – GNC, the nation’s largest specialty retailer of sports nutrition products, will be the title sponsor of the Arnold Sports Festival, the nation’s largest multi-sport event, for an 11^th straight year when the 2011 Arnold Sports Festival is held March 3-6 in Columbus.

GNC’s sponsorship covers a decade of growth that has seen the Sports Festival grow to feature 18,000 athletes competing in more than 45 sports and events and more than 175,000 attendees.

“The Arnold Sports Festival is proud to welcome back GNC as our title sponsor,” said Jim Lorimer, co-founder of the event. “Our Weekend has seen tremendous growth over the past decade and that would not have been possible without the unparalleled support of sponsors such as GNC, our above-the-line partner since 2001.”

No event has grown in popularity more since 2001 as the Arnold Fitness EXPO, which will have more than 700 booths featuring the latest in nutrition, fitness, equipment and clothing March 4-6 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

Five IFBB Pro League athletes will headline GNC’s special guests at the Fitness EXPO, including three-time Fitness International champion Adela Garcia, Fitness International competitors Tina Durkin and Camala Rodrigeuz, Figure International contender Cheryl Brown and inaugural Bikini International favorite Sonia Gonzales.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the greatest name in the history of bodybuilding and the founder of the Arnold Sports Festival, will make a special appearance at the GNC booth during the Arnold Sports Festival.

Arnold Sports Festival athletes and fans are encouraged to visit the GNC booth located directly in front of the Fitness EXPO main stage to review the latest in consumer interactivity and product sampling as well as information on GNC’s best high quality brands and sports nutrition products, including the company's newly-unveiled Beyond Raw line of products.

Another event at the Arnold Sports Festival is the GNC Pro Performance IPF Deadlift Championship, one of the four main events of the Arnold USA Powerlifting Championships.  The event is led by GNC’s Team Pro Performance Brad Gillingham, one of the top drug free powerlifters in the United States for over a decade.

GNC Team Pro Performance athletes scheduled to appear in the GNC booth during the Arnold Fitness EXPO March 4-6 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center include: Brown, Durkin, Garcia, Gonzales, Rodriguez, Julie Palmer, Allison Frahn, Desha Rodriguez, Heidi Fletcher Sullivan, Christine Wan, Brad Gillingham, Karl Gillingham and Wade Gillingham.

About the Arnold Sports Festival

With 45 sports and events, including 12 Olympic sports, the 2011 Arnold Sports Festival presents fitness and fun for all ages March 3-6 in Columbus, Ohio. Since its beginning in 1989 as The Arnold Classic, a one-day professional men’s bodybuilding competition, the festival has expanded into the world’s largest multi-sport fitness weekend.  About 175,000 sports fans are expected to see 18,000 athletes compete during the four-day festival.  The 2011 Arnold Fitness EXPO will feature a record 700 booths of the latest in sports equipment, apparel and nutrition and a stage that hosts a unique, non-stop mix of competitions and entertainment that combine to make the Arnold Fitness EXPO the heart of the Arnold Sports Festival.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Brent LaLonde
Arnold Sports Festival
614-431-2600
brent@arnoldexpo.com