REAL WORLD BODYBUILDING HISTORY.

FIGHTS AGAINST BODYBUILDING PROHIBITION.

Fifty three years have passed since bodybuilding sport was prohibited and prosecuted in the U.S.S.R. and Socialist countries. Everybody keep silence as they have nothing to say. Yes, in 1973 most bodybuilders left the sport. Somebody went to weightlifting. Somebody went on with bodybuilding illegally. But – who dared to make real steps to fight with prohibition of bodybuilding by political powers? The only one and it was DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS. It is the right time to speak about this. We will tell the full story in the nearest future. We will cover the facts, we will present documents and we will make conclusions. Sure – the false „heroes“ will not like this.

Follow information on International Site www.wff.lt

1982. SOCIALIST WORLD BODYBUILDING NEWS.

Bodybuilding sport was still prohibited but bodybuilders of the Socialist countries felt comming „perestrojka“.

The year of 1982 traditionally started in Klaipeda (Lithuanian SSR) with „Amber Prix International‘ („Gintarinis prizas“, «Янтарный приз», 1968 – 2023). We would like to underline that since 1978 „Amber Prix International“ was the „unofficial U.S.S.R. Bodybuilding Championship“ («неофициальный чемпионат С.С.С.Р. по культуризму»). Best U.S.S.R. bodybuilders participated at thie event. It became possible after when in 1978 DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS (Др. Эдмундас Даубарас) wrote bodybuilding defending petition and personally brought it to the highest U.S.S.R. political Institutions in Moscow (read about this in various languages in details in our articles at the www.wff.lt).

Bodybuilders of six countries took part at the 1982 „Amber Prix International“. The Over All Winners were RICARDAS PETRAUSKAS (Juniors) and EUGENE GORELIK (Евгений Горелик, Main Categories). Both from the Lithuanian SSR.

In 1982 bodybuilding organizers of the Estonian SSR still were fighting in between. Brothers ARRO left our sport, OLEV ANNUS emigrated to Finland. Though the Chairman of the National Bodybuilding Federation of the Estonian SSR was PRANAS MICKEVICIUS but bodybuilders supported INNAR MARDO (Иннар Мардо, 1946 – 2002).

There were two teams of the Estonian SSR at the 1982 „Amber Prix International“. One was of PRANAS MICKEVICIUS and another of INNAR MARDO.

Traditional 1982 „Georg Tenno Memorial“ («Мемориал Георга Тенно», 1971 – 1989) in Tallinn (Estonian SSR) was not the best. Only 31 bodybuilders participated at the competition. The Over All Winners were Lithuanians RAIMONDAS PETRAITIS (Juniors) and SAULIUS MISEVICIUS (Main Categories).

1982 „Comsomok Cup“ («Кубок комсомола», „Komjaunimo taurė“) was organized in Kaunas (Lithuanian SSR). Junior Category Winners were Lithuanians RAIMONDAS PETRAITIS, SAULIUS MIKUCKIS, EDMUNDAS GUDAVICIUS, Main Category Winners were STANISLAV POLIAKOV (Станислав Поляков, Latvian SSR) and Lithuanians ALGIRDAS IVANAUSKAS, SAULIUS MISEVICIUS, ALBERTAS BESAKIRSKAS.

Two teams of the Estonian SSR went to 1982 „Trener“ contest in the Czechoslovakian SSR. One was led by PRANAS MICKEVICIUS and another by INNAR MARDO. First time bodybuilders of the Lithuanian SSR took part at this competition. The Category Winners were Lithuanians EUGENE GORELIK, VLADAS KAPCEVICIUS, SAULIUS MISEVICIUS and LUBOMIR MATEJICKA from the Czechoslovakian SSR. The Over All Winner was SAULIUS MISEVICIUS.

In 1982 a representative of the U.S.S.R. first time visite I.F.B.B. (International Federation of Body Builders) World Championship. It was held in Belgium. That was secretary of the „Unofficial U.S.S.R. Bodybuilding Federation“ («неофициальная «Федерация культуризма С.С.С.Р.») ROMANAS KALINAUSKAS. For this he had to fool the U.S.S.R. officials. ROMANAS KALINAUSKAS managed to get into a cruise ship to Europe Countries. This way he reached Belgium and attended the World Championship. The time of cruise and championship was the same. As told by ROMANAS KALINAUSKAS the organizers met him warmly. But knowing no foreign languages he could make pictures with I.F.B.B. President BEN WEIDER nad ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER. Nothing more. But after meeting represntatives of Czechoslovakia SSR ROMANAS KALINAUSKAS communicated with then in Russian free. When competition ended ROMANAS KALINAUSKAS received zero attention and was left alone. Then at the 1982 I.F.B.B. World Championship winners were: USA bodybuilders JAMES GAUBERT, DALE RUPLINGER, LEE HANEY and Turkish AHMET ENUNLU.

In 1989 DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS clearly understood that ROMANAS KALINAUSKAS does not understand any foreign language. During active correspondance and a number of personal meetings with BEN WEIDER DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS bacame a real friend of him. In 1989 as a friend BEN WEIDER invited DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS to Paris (France). The 1989 I.F.B.B. World Championships were held in Paris at that time. DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS took ROMANAS KALINAUSTAS together. During a number of long lasting discussions DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS and BEN WEIDER learned about the total unintelligence of ROMANAS KALUNAUSKAS in knowing languages. He totally was not understanding about what both friend were talking.  

It was extremelly dificult to go to Capitalist countries at the Socialist times. For an ordinary people it was impossible. During the eight and nineth decades of the last century of all Socialist countries only a bodybuilding trainer LUDEK NOSEK (Marianske Lazne, Czechoslovakian SSR) had a privilege to travel to Capitalist countries constantly. For many years he was the organizer of the „Sandow“ contest. Wife of LUDEK NOSEK was working as a stewardess on International flights of the airlines of the Czechoslovakian SSR. Her work permitted to go to any of the World countries with her husbund once a year. This way representing National Bodybuilding Federation of the Czechoslovakian SSR LUDEK NOSEK was present at many I.F.B.B. World Championships that were held in various Capitalist countries. 

INFORMATION.
More detailed information on the Global International Site www.wff.lt, see forum topics.

2026 MEGA EVENTS INTERNATIONAL

37-th Am-Pro World Championship

45-th Am-Pro „World Grand Prix“

3-d „Neringa Mayor‘s Cup“

October 24 - 25, 2026, „Agila“ Palace,  Nida Resort, Lithuania

Official Documents, Articles, Statistics on Global Page www.wff.lt

CONTEST REGISTRATION on www.worldfitness.lt

60 METŲ PASAULIO SPORTO ISTORIJOS:

LIETUVA – SVARBI WFF-WBBF KELIO DALIS.

Nuo „Gintarinio prizo“ iki pasaulio čempionatų – dešimtmečiais Lietuvoje kūrėsi tarptautinio sporto istorija.

Šeši dešimtmečiai – tai ne vien laiko tarpas. Tai žmonės, kartos, tradicijos, varžybos, pergalės, susitikimai ir istorijos, kurios išlieka gerokai ilgiau nei vienas sporto renginys.

Artėjant 60 metų WFF-WBBF federacijos tarptautinės veiklos sukakčiai, galima drąsiai teigti, kad reikšmingą vietą šioje istorijoje užima Lietuva.

Per daugiau kaip pusę amžiaus mūsų šalyje surengta daugiau kaip 100 tarptautinių WFF-WBBF renginių. Vilniuje, Kaune, Klaipėdoje, Panevėžyje, Telšiuose, Šilutėje, Vilkaviškyje ir Nidoje vyko pasaulio bei Europos čempionatai, tarptautiniai „Gintarinio prizo“ ir „Universe“ turnyrai bei kitos aukšto lygio tarptautinės varžybos.

Į Lietuvą įvairiais dešimtmečiais atvykdavo sportininkai ir delegacijos iš Europos, Azijos, Afrikos, Šiaurės ir Pietų Amerikos bei Australijos. Šiandien WFF-WBBF federacijai atstovauja 141 pasaulio valstybė, apimanti visus pasaulio žemynus.

Lietuva – tarptautinių susitikimų vieta

WFF-WBBF renginiai Lietuvoje tapo daugiau nei vien sporto varžybomis. Jie tapo vieta, kur susitikdavo skirtingų šalių sportininkai, treneriai, teisėjai, organizatoriai ir sporto visuomenės atstovai.

Per ilgus metus Lietuvoje viešėjo delegacijos iš daugelio Europos valstybių – Latvijos, Estijos, Lenkijos, Čekijos, Slovakijos, Vengrijos, Bulgarijos, Rumunijos, Serbijos, Bosnijos ir Hercegovinos, Graikijos, Italijos, Ispanijos, Vokietijos, Šveicarijos, Nyderlandų, Danijos, Prancūzijos, Jungtinės Karalystės, Airijos, Portugalijos, Belgijos, Suomijos, Norvegijos ir kitų šalių.

Tačiau tarptautinė renginių geografija tuo neapsiribojo.

Į Lietuvą atvyko sportininkai iš Pietų Afrikos Respublikos, Alžyro, Nigerijos, Mozambiko, Egipto, Pietų Amerikos valstybių – Argentinos, Brazilijos, Urugvajaus, Paragvajaus, Venesuelos, taip pat iš JAV, Kanados, Meksikos ir Australijos.

Ypatingai platus buvo Azijos šalių atstovavimas. Lietuvos varžybose dalyvavo Japonijos, Malaizijos, Tailando, Irano, Izraelio, Sirijos, Indijos, Pakistano, Uzbekistano, Turkmėnistano, Kazachstano ir kitų šalių sportininkai.

Tokie skaičiai ir tokia geografija šiandien leidžia pažvelgti į Lietuvos sporto istoriją kitu kampu. Maža šalis prie Baltijos jūros dešimtmečiais tapo tarptautinių sporto susitikimų vieta, į kurią keliaudavo žmonės iš įvairių pasaulio kampelių.

Sportas, kuris jungė žmones

Didžiųjų tarptautinių renginių istorijoje svarbus buvo ne tik sportinis rezultatas. Ne mažiau svarbūs buvo žmonių susitikimai, tarptautiniai ryšiai ir bendros patirtys.

Daugelio užsienio delegacijų vadovai ne kartą buvo iškilmingai priimti Lietuvos Respublikos Seime. WFF-WBBF renginių dalyviai taip pat dalyvavo tarptautinėse spaudos konferencijose naujienų agentūroje ELTA.

Daug svarbių tarptautinių renginių buvo remiami ir finansuojami Lietuvos Respublikos institucijų. Tai buvo reikšmingas valstybės dėmesio tarptautiniam sportui ženklas ir galimybė Lietuvai dar plačiau pristatyti save pasaulio sporto bendruomenei.

Per dešimtmečius užmegzti tarptautiniai ryšiai nenutrūko. Priešingai – jie tapo pagrindu naujiems renginiams, naujoms sporto kartoms ir naujiems tarptautinio bendradarbiavimo projektams.

„Gintarinio prizo“ istorija

Ypatingą vietą šioje istorijoje užima „Gintarinio prizo“ turnyras.

Tai ne vien sporto varžybų pavadinimas. Per daugelį metų „Gintarinis prizas“ tapo tradicija ir Lietuvos sporto istorijos dalimi, žinoma daugelyje pasaulio šalių.

2027 metų gegužę Klaipėdoje bus iškilmingai minimos 60-osios „Gintarinio prizo“ turnyro metinės.

Tai bus simboliška proga prisiminti žmones, kurie kūrė šio turnyro istoriją, sportininkus, kurie ant scenos ir varžybų aikštelėse siekė pergalių, trenerius, teisėjus ir organizatorius, daugelį metų puoselėjusius šią tradiciją.

Šešiasdešimt metų – tai jau legenda, perduodama iš kartos į kartą.

Naujas istorijos puslapis – Nidoje

Tačiau istorija nėra vien prisiminimai. Ji tęsiasi šiandien.

2026 metų spalio 24–26 dienomis Nidoje vyks 37-asis profesionalų ir mėgėjų pasaulio čempionatas.

Tai bus dar vienas svarbus tarptautinis renginys Lietuvos sporto istorijoje, į mūsų šalį vėl sukviesiantis sportininkus ir delegacijas iš įvairių pasaulio valstybių.

O 2027 metais Klaipėdoje vyksiantis jubiliejinis „Gintarinio prizo“ minėjimas taps dar viena proga pažvelgti į nueitą kelią ir kartu į ateitį.

Istorija, kuri tęsiasi

Per šešis dešimtmečius keitėsi valstybės, miestai, sportininkų kartos ir pats pasaulis. Tačiau išliko svarbiausia – noras varžytis, siekti aukščiausių rezultatų, susitikti ir bendrauti.

Šiandien, kai WFF-WBBF federacijos veikla apima 141 pasaulio valstybę, Lietuvos vaidmuo šioje istorijoje yra akivaizdus.

Daugiau kaip 100 tarptautinių renginių Lietuvoje – tai daugiau nei statistika.

Tai tūkstančiai sportininkų, šimtai delegacijų, dešimtys valstybių, daugybė varžybų ir šeši dešimtmečiai sukauptos patirties.

Tai istorija, kuri buvo kuriama ne vien rezultatais ir medaliais. Ji buvo kuriama žmonėmis.

Ir ši istorija dar nesibaigia.

2026 metų pasaulio čempionatas Nidoje ir 2027 metų „Gintarinio prizo“ 60-mečio jubiliejus Klaipėdoje taps naujais šios ilgos istorijos puslapiais.

Po šešių dešimtmečių kelias tęsiasi.

Lietuva ir toliau lieka pasaulio sporto istorijos dalimi.

THEY BANNED BODYBUILDING.

HE HELD THE COMPETITIONS ANYWAY.

From illegal competitions in Soviet Lithuania to a Pope’s medal in the Vatican — a story that sounds almost impossible today

1976. Soviet Lithuania.

Bodybuilding was banned.

The authorities did not want it. The system regarded it as something foreign, suspicious and unnecessary.

But someone decided that a ban would not be the final word.

Edmundas Daubaras began organizing bodybuilding competitions.

Public competitions.

At the time — illegal in the eyes of the authorities.

And this is where a story began that, decades later, would lead from Lithuania to Moscow — and ultimately to the Vatican.

NOT IN A GYM. AGAINST THE SYSTEM.

Today, bodybuilding competitions seem completely ordinary.

A stage. Spotlights. Athletes. Judges. Medals.

But in Soviet Lithuania, everything was different.

In 1976–1977, organizing public bodybuilding competitions meant challenging the system.

Athletes wanted to train.

They wanted to compete.

They wanted to demonstrate the results of their work.

And the system said: no.

The answer was simple:

“The competitions will take place anyway.”

And they did.

In Klaipėda, the authorities later permitted bodybuilding competitions to be held.

But that was not the end of the story.

It was only the beginning.

1978. A PETITION — TO MOSCOW

When organizing competitions was no longer enough, an even bolder step was taken.

In 1978, Edmundas Daubaras wrote a petition defending bodybuilding.

And he did not take it to some local authority.

Not to a sports club.

Not to a newspaper editorial office.

He took it to Moscow. To the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

It was an attempt to address the system itself.

Directly.

Without intermediaries.

To demand recognition of the right of a sport to exist — a sport to which the system had imposed restrictions.

Today, individual circumstances of that period may be interpreted in different ways. But one fact cannot be denied:

A man living under the Soviet system chose to openly defend something that the system sought to restrict.

DECADES PASSED.

Time changed the world.

The Soviet Union disappeared.

The Iron Curtain fell.

Bodybuilding became an international sport.

And a story that had once been associated with bans and state control eventually reached a completely different place.

The Vatican.

2011. THE VATICAN.

During an official reception for WFF-WBBF leaders at the Vatican, representatives of the Catholic Church were introduced to this history.

They learned about the position of bodybuilding under the communist system.

About the bans.

About the first competitions.

About the petition to Moscow.

About the activities of Edmundas Daubaras.

And then something happened that nobody at the beginning of this story could have predicted.

Cardinal Jozef Tomko described Edmundas Daubaras’s actions toward the communist regime as dissident in nature.

And there was more.

Edmundas Daubaras was awarded a medal of Pope Benedict XVI.

Later, the WFF-WBBF federation received an official letter from the Vatican blessing the federation’s activities.

From illegal competitions in Soviet Lithuania — to the Vatican.

From prohibition — to blessing.

Could there be a more striking historical irony?

60 YEARS. AND ONE EXTRAORDINARY STORY.

Today, WFF-WBBF celebrates its 60th anniversary.

Six decades of sporting history.

But among the countless dates, championships, athletes and titles, there is one story that stands out.

Because it did not begin under comfortable circumstances.

Not in a free country.

Not at a time when everything was permitted.

It began when people had to fight for the very right to organize bodybuilding competitions.

And that is precisely why this story deserves to be remembered.

BECAUSE SOMETIMES A MEDAL IS NOT FOR MUSCLES.

In sports history, medals are usually awarded for victories.

For records.

For championship titles.

But in this story, the medal presented at the Vatican carried an entirely different meaning.

It became a symbolic recognition of the work of a man who began acting at a time when even the right to organize bodybuilding competitions could not be taken for granted.

1976–1977 — illegal competitions.

1978 — petition to Moscow.

2011 — the Vatican.

Medal of Pope Benedict XVI.

Recognition by Cardinal Jozef Tomko.

Official Vatican blessing of WFF-WBBF activities.

That is the journey.

And so, as the federation marks its 60th anniversary, one can say it very simply:

WHEN THE SYSTEM SAID “NO” — SPORT SAID “YES.”

And history remembered it.