Meet Michael Ollé, Mr. Bear International 2025
The dust has settled on yet another Mr. Bear International competition and Michael Ollé of South Africa has emerged as the new titleholder. Taking place during Songkran Bear Week in Bangkok, Thailand, the competition is the culmination of a week filled with amazing events attended by bears from all over the world.
Michael joins us fresh off his win to talk about his experience in Bangkok, the bear community in South Africa, and his dreams for the wider bear community.
John Hernandez: Can you tell us a bit about your background? Including name, where you are from and current city of residency?
Michael Ollé: I am from South Africa residing in the beautiful coastal city of Durban. I am 38 years old and have lived in Durban my entire life. I work in the Eventing industry specialising in Food and Beverage operations and logistics for large scale events.
JH: What drew you to the bear community?
MO: The Bear community has been my home since I was 19 years old. The community was so welcoming and accepted me as I was. I was drawn by the brotherhood and the genuine love and care that they gave to one another. It is not just a community, it’s a family.
JH: Tell us about your local bear scene and some of your favorite places or organizations whose events you enjoy.
MO: The Bear community in South Africa is small yet united. We don’t have any specific “Bear Bars” but we do have a good selection of LGBT bars and nightclubs where we will meet together with the general LGBT community and socialise broadly and inclusively.
We do however have an annual event created by Mr. Chris Taute in 2014 called Bearfest SA. This event is a highlight for the community allowing us all to come together for 3 days and reconnect with each other. It’s also a great opportunity for new family to join the community in a safe place.
Outside of South Africa I have great respect for the Mr. Bear Organisation and the work they are doing to unite the international Bear community and drive positive change. Bangkok Songkran Bear Week is a fantastic platform to meet Bear family from all around the world in a completely safe and accepting environment. I would highly recommend this experience.
JH: Tell us a bit about becoming Mr Bearfest SA, the title that enabled you to compete in Mr Bear International and also why did you want to compete in an international competition?
MO: The Bearfest SA event has a nomination process where the community has a chance to nominate who they feel should represent SA Bears as Mr Bearfest SA. I was fortunate enough to be nominated and after a series of events and voting, I was crowned Mr Beafest SA 2024 on the 07th December 2024. This was one of the proudest moments of my life and my promise via a Facebook post on the 08th December 2024 was that I would use the platform to promote self love, acceptance and inclusivity far and wide. Little did I know the universe would test me on that promise and a few days later I received an invitation to represent South Africa at the Mr. Bear International competition. My immediate answer was yes, South Africa had never competed in any international Bear event and this was a chance to proudly represent my country and follow through with the promise to my community. I didn’t have the finances at that stage but I was humbled by the love and support I received both from South Africa and abroad who helped me gather the finances and attend the competition. I will forever be grateful.
JH: That’s amazing! Tell us about this year’s Mr. Bear International competition and Bangkok Songkran Bear Week – what were some highlights?
MO: Mr. Bear International 2025 was in one word…….. AMAZING!. The event is extremely professional and the orgainsers took exceptional pride in ensuring that they equipped us with everything we needed to do the best we could. The contestants this year became my brothers within 24 hours of meeting each other. Everyone was there to support each other and it ignited a fire inside me to do the best I could. Behind the scenes we worked hard together, laughed together and at times cried together. We built a brotherly love that will last forever. I am so proud of them all.
Bangkok Songkran Bear week did not disappoint! From the 11th – 15th April there are non stop events including the Twilight Foam Party, Oasis Pool Party, Mr. Bear International competition, Bearism afterparty, Songkran festival all of which ended with the Big Boil Sauna event. Every single one of these events was perfectly executed with world class entertainment and lots of eye candy. Mr. Bear Organisation exceeded my expectations.
There were so many highlights, my main highlight was the friendships I made. l now have brothers all around the world. Another highlight was the level of inclusivity I witnessed during my stay. It didn’t matter your body type, race, culture or language, everyone just had a good time and celebrated together. This entire experience was one huge highlight that I will never forget.
JH: I definitely want to end one day. What makes you unique and why do you think you won the competition?
MO: I don’t feel unique in any way. Each one of the contestants was deserving of the win in my eyes. A possible quality that made me stand out was my love for the Bear community. It’s everything to me and I am willing to do anything and everything to protect my community and see it grow into something bigger and more beautiful. This has been my home for the past 19 years. It’s not just a community to me, it’s a family. It’s where I belong!. Perhaps the confidence I have built through knowing where I belong and what I want to see come out of the Bear community inspired the judges.
JH: What do you hope to do and accomplish with your new international title?
MO: My primary goal is to continue with my initial promise I made in December 2024 – To promote body positivity, create a more inclusive community, promote safe spaces and break the borders. It’s impossible for one person to do this alone so I will be seeking to create new bonds and build family throughout the world who have the same vision and are willing to assist in making positive change. I already have the support of all my fellow Mr. Bear International contestant brothers and have also made connections with other title holders within the community. I will continue to work on these goals even after I pass the title to the new Mr. Bear International in 2026.
JH: Anything else you’d like to mention?
MO: I would like to thank everyone who has helped me and supported me. This journey has given me so much hope and proven to me that I am home and this is where I belong. I am completely humbled and I hope to make the International Bear Family proud.
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