"GEORG TENNO MEMORIAL".

2023. WORLD BODYBUILDING HISTORY.

ONLY THREE CONTESTS HAD HISTORIC STRATEGIC VALUE.

Today the W.F.F. – W.B.B.F. (World Fitness Federation, World Body Building Federation)  International unites 140 Country – Members and organizes nearly 60 annual Amateur and Professional International Events World Wide. Looking from the juridical point of view the W.F.F. – W.B.B.F. International is no doubt the Real World Bodybuilding Leader.

Crowning it‘s 55 years of  International Bodybuilding activities, the W.F.F. – W.B.B.F.  works on the Unique Global International Bodybuilding Project -  the „World Bodybuilding  Encyclopedia“ («Энциклопедия всемирного культуризма», “Pasaulio kultūrizmo enciklopedija”).

Part One of the Encyclopedia covering period since ancient times to 1973 is finished. Now we are working on the Second Book covering period of time since 1973 until 1991.

ONLY THREE CONTESTS HAD HISTORIC STRATEGIC VALUE.

There are many various level competitions around us and the value to the World‘s sport of every one is different. Through the time today working on the „World Bodybuilding Encyclopedia“ we can clearly see what really every competition means to our sport. During the eighties of the last Century only three contests played great historic role to the Socialist Bodybuilding and to the World‘s Bodybuilding as well. The World was divided politically and the Bodybuilding Sport was prohibited in the Socialist Countries.  It was a big risk to everybody to be connected with this sport. This means that always we look upon the same things from the different point of view. Today we can underline that only three events were extremely important for the further development of bodybuilding:

- 1974 „Georg Tenno Memorial“ («Мемориал Георга Тенно», Tallinn, Estonian SSR, organized Innar Mardo, Иннар Мардо)

1975 I.F.B.B. Europe Championship (Amsterdam, Holland. Peter Stach from Czechoslovakia had broken the „Iron Wall“ and won the Europe Champion‘s title)

- 1978 „Amber Prix International“ („Gintarinis prizas“, „Янтарный приз», Klaipeda, Lithuanian SSR, organized by DSc. Edmundas Daubaras, Др. Эдмундас Даубарас).

We will speak about each of the mentioned events and explain the essence. Only due to them our sport looks as it looks now.

1974. “GEORG TENNO MEMORIAL”. BEGINNING.

Due to political reasons after 1971 bodybuilding in Socialist Countries was in problems. Finally in 1973 bodybuilding sport was prohibited in the U.S.S.R. and all Socialist Countries. Bodybuilding activities were prosecuted. The press was full of negative articles about bodybuilding.

Competitions were not organized at that time. But there were some exceptions.

Representative of the Estonian SSR INNAR MARDO (Иннар Мардо, 1946 – 2002) and his friends started pressing the polititians of the Estonian SSR.  They presented bodybuilding as a national kind of sport in Estonian SSR. They spoke about old Estonian traditions in power sports, strongmen and wrestling. All remembered such known Estonian sport persons as GEORG LURICH (Георг Лурих, 1876 - 1920), GEORG HACKENSCHMIDT  (Георг Гаккеншмидт, 1878 – 1968), Olympic Champion KRISTIAN PALUSALU  (Kristian Trossmann, Кристиан Палусалу, 1908 – 1987).  Estonian GEORG TENNO(Георг Тенно, 1911 - 1967)  for long years on was working at the high sport offices of the U.S.S.R.. This was in 1971 when Estonians started organizing in Tallinn the International „Georg Tenno Memorial“ («Мемориал Георга Тенно», 1971 – 1989) competition. The contest was nearly on regular basis and local governments somehow supported it.

Similar to Estonians did the bodybuilders of Czechslovakia. To hide the real bodybuilding basis they added a number of power exercises in their contests.

In Lithuania competitions were held underground and without public. In 1974 DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS organized the fourth historic „Amber Prix International“ („Gintarinis prizas“, «Янтарный приз», 1968 – 2022, Klaipeda, Lithuanian Republic). It was held in a city bomb shelter. After this the „Amber Prix“ was organized regularly. In 1976 the International Competition was held in Kalinin (Tver, Russian Federation). The Contest was done in a small city gym. In 1977 an International Contest was organized in a small Lithuanian SSR city Kedainiai and it was held in a small gym too. Lithuanians as well as bodybuilders of other Socialist Countries were hiding the bodybuilding with the power exercises.

In 1974 the „Georg Tenno Memorial“ was the only one bodybuilding contest in the U.S.S.R. which was supported by the Estonian Government. Though the U.S.S.R. polititians were prohibiting to do this. 

(the Article will be continued)

INFORMATION.
More detailed information on the Global International Site www.wff.lt, see forum topics. Also information available on the Facebook pages: W.F.F. – W.B.B.F. International, W.F.F. – W.B.B.F. North America, W.F.F. – W.B.B.F. South America, W.F.F. – W.B.B.F. Asia, W.F.F. – W.B.B.F. Europe, W.F.F. – W.B.B.F. Africa, W.F.F. – W.B.B.F. Asia Continental Federation, International Sport University (I.S.U., www.isuniversity.lt), W.F.F. – W.B.B.F. Pro Division, W.P.S.F. World Power Sports Federation.