WORLD BODYBUILDING HISTORY.

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 56 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 for 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“ (1971 – 1989, «Мемориал Георга Тенно», Tallinn, Estonian SSR, organized Innar Mardo, Иннар Мардо)

1975 I.F.B.B. Europe Championship (Amsterdam, Holland. VOJTECH FIALA from Czechoslovakia had broken the „Iron Wall“ and first time in sport‘s history PETER STACH 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) opened the new page of the U.S.S.R. bodybuilding.

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

PROHIBITION OF BODYBUILDING RUINED RELATIONS.

Relations between the Socialist Countries started in 1966 when Lithuanians organized first International contest in Vilnius (Lithuanian SSR). These relations were ruined when in 1973 the prohibition of bodybuilding in the U.S.S.R. and all Socialist Countries was announced. Everybody was afraid to be punnished. The “U.S.S.R. Bodybuilding Committee “ («Общественный комитет по атлетической гимнастике С.С.С.Р.») which was set up in 1968 in Kaunas (Lithuanian SSR) now stopped working too. All Chairmen of the Committee left bodybuilding: Lithuanians VALERIJ KORESHKOV (Валерий Корешков) went on working as a journalist; VYTAUTAS ZUMERIS (Витаутас Зумерис) worked in the sport medicine; Russians GENNADIJ BALDIN (Геннадий Балдин), ROMAN MOROZ (Роман Мороз) and VLADIMIR PETROV (Владимир Петров) were busy with the weightlifting sport.

Similar situation was in other Socialist Countries.

Aiming to escape the prosecution under the leadership of INNAR MARDO (1946 – 2002) Estonians named the bodybuilding as a „National Kind of Sport“. The Government let them go on organizing the „Georg Tenno Memorial‘ (1971 – 1989, Tallinn, Estonian SSR).

Lithuanians without public and publicity were working „underground“. In 1973 DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS organized bodybuilding contest in the old Klaipeda City prison and in 1974 he also organized the fourth historic „Amber Prix International“ („Gintarinis prizas“, «Янтарный приз», 1968 – 2022, Klaipeda, Lithuanian Republic). It was held in a bomb shelter. From time to time „silent“ contests were ogranized in Kaunas too.

VOJTECH FIALA OPENS DOORS FOR CZECHOSLOVAKS.

Bodybuilders in Czechoslovakia were supported by their Government. They remembered very well the work of the American BOB HOFFMAN in the International F.I.H.C. federation. The F.I.H.C. was a member of the I.O.C. (International Olympic Committee). For twenty years F.I.H.C. was supported by the Governments of all Socialist Countries. The F.I.H.C. always had power exercises at their regular bodybuilding World Championships. This way the Czechoslovaks started power exercises at their National bodybuilding competitions again. After some time Czechoslovakia bodybuilders received permittion to participate at the I.F.B.B. World and Europe Championships. Bodybuilders of all Socialist World could not even dream about this. Several weeks before the International contests the National bodybuilding team of Czechoslovakia was financed by their Sport Ministry. Bodybuilders lived and trained at the National Olympic Centre in the mountains. It was evident that the sportsmen of Czechoslovakia were fare ahead of all Socialist Countries. It was only on the personal efforts of VOJTECH FIALA who was at those years the President of the National Czechoslovakia Bodybuilding Federation. VOJTECH FIALA used his personal power and contacts at the Government of Czechoslovakia and also abroad in the „Western“ Countries.

This was how the bodybuilders of Czechoslovakia during the years of bodybuilding prohibition is the Socialist Countries entered the 1975 I.F.B.B. Europe Championship (Amsterdam, Holland).

1975 I.F.B.B. EUROPE CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS.

Category Short

Kemp Nicolas (Belgium)
Barange Ronald (France)
Bertagna Renato (Italy)

Category Medium

Stach Peter (Czechoslovakia)
Annette Mederic (France)
Rudman Janko (Sweden)

Category High

Hedrder Billy (Holland)
Prink Uwe (West Germany)
Lerus Serge (France).

Over All Champion PETER STACH.

(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.