Arnold Schwarzenegger called it a "very sad day" for him after the announcement that the Arnold Sports Festival would be closed to spectators.
Governor Mike DeWine announced that the festival will be closed to everyone except athletes because of the threat posed by the new coronavirus.
The four-day festival, that draws more than 20,000 athletes and 200,000 fans, will only be open to the public on Saturday night for the bodybuilding and strongman finals.
"I think it was a wise decision because under the circumstances, listening to the governor's concern, to the mayor's concern, the CDC's concern and all the expert scientists and the health community, the doctors, I think it was the right thing to do because we want to keep people safe. And we want to keep people healthy," Schwarzenegger said in a video posted to his Twitter account.
Schwarzenegger, who established the festival, said by cellphone during the news conference that he will consider rescheduling ancillary events on a later date once the virus' threat has passed.
"Making money is less important than being healthy and promoting health and fitness," he said in his video.
This is the first time in the festival's history that activities have been postponed.
