TEHRAN - Iranian bodybuilding judge Akbar Khazaei officiated at two international NPC competitions in Georgia and Armenia on Sept. 26 and Oct. 4, further expanding his record of judging assignments within the Mr. Olympia organization.
The events in Georgia and Armenia are serving as a qualifier for the prestigious Mr. Olympia competition in the United States.
Khazaei, the first and only professional NPC bodybuilding judge from Iran, was officially invited by Mr. Olympia authorities to officiate at the Basra event in Iraq in September, taking his number of international judging assignments within the organization to 17.
Meanwhile, Khazaei drew attention at the latest events by judging some categories bilingually in Persian and English, a move that received widespread attention among participants.
Khazaei began his career as a championship athlete before becoming a coach to numerous professional-level champions worldwide.
His career has included serving as one of the coaches of Iran’s national fitness team, an adviser to Yazdan Rad, the federation’s first head and secretary, a member of the Bodybuilding Federation’s Judges Commission, and a judge for the IFBB and ABBF.
In 2022, he became the first and only professional bodybuilding judge from Iran within the Mr. Olympia organization.