Arnold Schwarzenegger was in Columbus, Ohio this weekend, supporting a large group of athletes at the Greater Columbus Convention Center for the Arnold Sports Festival on Saturday. 18,000 athletes competed in 50 different sporting events including bodybuilding, table tennis, arm wrestling, and gymnastics.

The former governor of California–often referred to as the ‘Governator’ because of his on screen persona in The Terminator–spoke of success and how there are no shortcuts to take when striving to achieve it.

“It’s gymnastics we really love the most, because this is a fantastic sport, for children and grownups, about discipline and hard work and it gives kids the message that the harder they work, the better they get,” Schwarzenegger said.

It’s a nice change to see Arnold Schwarzenegger portrayed in a positive light. He has seen plenty of bad press–at his own hands, however–for cheating on wife Maria Shriver and fathering a child with the family’s housekeeper Mildred ‘Patti’ Baena. Arnold now has a relationship with Joseph Baena–his love child–and is still estranged from Maria Shriver. They aren’t yet officially divorced, but have lived separately since shortly after the cheating debacle became headline news.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s personal foibles certainly haven’t marred the public’s opinion of him in the film or sports world, however. He is still revered as a superstar, as he was in Columbus this weekend. Droves of people gathered around to hear what words of wisdom the actor and former governor proffered.

Schwarzenegger is one of the most important and revered figures in the history of bodybuilding. The Arnold Classic yearly bodybuilding competition is named after him and is considered the ideal in the sport.

It might be interesting to ask people who attended or competed at the Greater Columbus Convention Center for the Arnold Sports Festival this weekend if Arnold Schwarzenegger was touting the merits of his new workout and nutrition plan. Called the Blueprint Program, it was just launched a few days before the event.

Might there have been an underlying reason for Arnold’s appearance in Columbus? Was it promotional in nature as much as it was inspirational?

Image via Wikimedia Commons