This competition had only 12 competitors competing, the fewest competitors competing in Ms. Olympia ever. Only the 1996 Ms. Olympia would match this to have 12 competitors competing.[1]
Mike Alley and Corinna Everson were the commentators for ESPN2 coverage of the 2000 Ms. Olympia.
Jennifer McVicar received a special invite to attend the 2000 Ms. Olympia.
Valentina Chepiga was upset when she was weighed in and weighed over 135 lbs, making her compete in the heavyweight division.
Bev Francis was one of the judges of the 2000 Ms. Olympia.
2000 Ms. Olympia changes
The IFBB introduced several changes to Ms. Olympia in 2000. The first change was that Ms. Olympia contest would no longer be held as a separate contest, instead became part of the "Olympia Weekend" in Las Vegas and held the day before the men's show. The second change was when heavyweight and lightweight classes where added. The third change was the new judging guidelines for presentations were introduced. A letter to the competitors from Jim Manion (chairman of the Professional Judges Committee) stated that women would be judged on healthy appearance, face, makeup, and skin tone. The criteria given in Manion's letter included the statement "symmetry, presentation, separations, and muscularity BUT NOT TO THE EXTREME!" The 2000 Ms. Olympia is the only Ms. Olympia with no overall winner, with Andrulla Blanchette winning lightweight class and Valentina Chepiga winning heavyweight class.
