The order limits spectators to parents or guardians of minors participating in the Arnold Sports and Fitness Expo, which attracts tens of thousands to Columbus.
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It allows attendance at some events Friday and Saturday, including the men's and women's physique finals.
The festival’s economic impact is $53 million each year, 10tv.com/WBNS-TV reports.
The event began as a bodybuilding competition founded by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1989 but now is a festival whose events also include weightlifting, running races, martial arts, jump roping and more.
Festival organizers said they will abide by the order, even while arguing they were being unfairly singled out compared with other athletic contests in the state, including pro sports and college basketball contests.
Wednesday, Schwarzenegger said the event would continue as normal, despite a deal late Tuesday restricting attendance.
“There is no explanation to allow all these other events with 20,000 fans to continue while not allowing us to sell tickets to a few thousand sports fans to watch our different sports,” Schwarzenegger, the actor and former California governor, said in a letter to Gov. Mike DeWine and Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther on Wednesday.
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Thursday, DeWine said the sports festival is different from other events.
“We are also concerned that that almost all the athletic competitions at the festival are not single-ticket events and are rather general admission, which allows for spectators to attend dozens of events and travel freely from facility to facility,” the governor said.
Daniel Ketchell, Schwarzenegger chief of staff, tweeted that people also move around freely during sporting events to buy food and drinks and use the restroom.
Acton said she followed guidance from the Centers for Disease Control to analyze events based in part on local health officials' ability to respond. She noted Arnold organizers predicted as many as 250,000 attendees.
"When you talk these numbers during an epidemic, an outbreak, we are fully taxing our systems as they are," Acton said.
Also Thursday, DeWine and Acton held a summit with local health officials to discuss preparations for the coronavirus.
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