Arnold Schwarzenegger recently announced that the 2024 edition of the Arnold Sports Festival was the "biggest and best ever" in the 30-year history of the annual sports festival which features a wide range of sports.The Arnold Sports Festival 2024 was scheduled from February 29 to March 3, 2024. Over a period of four days, the sports festival featured events such as the Arnold Classic, the Arnold Strongman Classic, and various events in fitness and combat sports.On the completion of the annual sports festival, the star bodybuilder thanked all the fans, athletes, and sponsors for making the event more successful than ever. He called this year's festival the " biggest and best ever"."The biggest and best @arnoldsports Festival… EVER. Thank you to the fans, thank you to the athletes, thank you to the sponsors. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We’ll be back next year - bigger and better," he captioned the post View this post on Instagram Instagram PostAfter the conclusion of the event, Arnold Schwarzenegger took to social media to congratulate all the champions of the event.What a weekend. Congratulations to our champions", he began."Men’s Open : Hadi Choopan, Arnold Strongman Classic: Mitchell Hooper, Classic Physique: Wesley Vissers, Arnold Strongwoman Classic: Angelica Jardine, Bikini International: Lauralie Chapados, World’s Strongest Firefighter: Marcus Waugh", he added as he named the winners of the respective events."Wellness International: Francielle Mattos, Men’s Physique: Diogo Montenegro, Fitness International: Ariel Khadr, Men’s Wheelchair Bodybuilding: Rajesh John," the caption read. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThis year's Arnold Classic showcased fierce competition between the top bodybuilders in the world. A new champion was named in this year's Arnold Classic bodybuilding competition as Iran's Hadi Choopan dethroned Samson Dauda to take the crown.Arnold Sports Festival 2024 Prize moneyArnold Sports Festival Africa 2019The Arnold Sports Festival is known for the lucrative prize money offered to the winners of the contests, and that arguably plays a role in attracting some of the top contestants from around the world.Here is the prize money breakdown for the contests at the Arnold Sports Festival:Arnold Strongman Classic1st Place: $80,0002nd Place: $25,0003rd Place: $20,0004th Place: $15,0005th Place: $13,0006th Place: $8,0007th Place: $7,0008th Place: $6,0009th Place: $5,00010th Place: $3,000Arnold Strongwoman Classic1st Place: $25,0002nd Place: $15,0003rd Place: $10,0004th Place: $8,0005th Place: $5,0006th Place: $4,0007th Place: $3,0008th Place: $2,5009th Place: $1,50010th Place: $1,000Arnold Classic Physique1st Place: $60,0002nd Place: $30,0003rd Place: $20,0004th Place: $7,0005th Place: $4,0006th Place: $2,000Arnold Fitness International1st Place: $25,0002nd Place: $13,0003rd Place: $8,0004th Place: $5,0005th Place: $3,0006th Place: $2,000Arnold Welness International1st Place: $14,0002nd Place: $7,0003rd Place: $5,0004th Place: $3,0005th Place: $2,0006th Place: $1,000Recently, Schwarzenegger announced that the prize money for the 2025 Arnold Classic would be a whopping $500,000. It would be $100,000 more than Mr Olympia (via Gymnation), which can be seen as an attempt to make the Arnold Classic Bodybuilding contest the most rewarding competition of the year.This year's winner of the Arnold Classic bodybuilding competition, Hadi Choopan, took home $300,000 while the runner-up, Samson Dauda, won $120,000.