WORLD BODYBUILDING HISTORY.

I.O.C., A.A.U., F.I.H.C., N.A.B.B.A..

HOW WORLD BODYBUILDING WAS DEVELOPED.

WHY SOCIALIST BODYBUILDING WENT DIFERENT WAY?

Why „Socialist“ bodybuilding was so much diferent from the „Western“ one? To get the answer we must to study the biography of American BOB HOFFMAN and the documents of the International Weightlifting F.I.H.C. (F.I.H., Federation Internationale Halterophile) federation. Only then the answer will come. And this is the ABC of bodybuilding. One can not read and one can not write if he does not know the ABC.

All his life BOB HOFFMAN was working together with the A.A.U. („Amateur Athletes Union“). A.A.U. was the Ministry of Sport in the USA by fact. BOB HOFMAN wanted bodybuilding to become the Olympic sport and step by step he was keeping on this direction. Due to his efforts in 1947 a member of the I.O.C. International F.I.H.C. federation included bodybuilding in it‘s programmes. F.I.H.C. started ruling official bodybuilding sport. This way BOB HOFFMAN saw the real recognition of bodybuilding as sport. He was always supported by the Chairmen of the A.A.U., the F.I.H.C., the National Olympic Committe of the USA and by the I.O.C.. For many years the Chairman of the A.A.U., the National Olympic Committe of the USA and of the I.O.C. was a good friend of BOB HOFFMAN. That was AVERY BRUNDAGE (1887 – 1975). No other companies or organizations could compete with BOB HOFFMAN during the time of his active work in bodybuilding because the A.A.U., the F.I.H.C., the National Olympic Committe of the USA and of the I.O.C. was behind BOB HOFFMAN.

After the WWII WEIDER brothers JOE and BEN started their private company „I.F.B.B.“ (International Federation of Bodybuilders) but the company worked only in the USA and Canada. In 1950 N.A.B.B.A. (National Amateur Body Building Association) started it‘s work in Great Britain, but that was a National Association only.

It is evident today that it was BOB HOFFMAN who brought bodybuilding sport to many countries, the Great Britain as well. Due to his efforts in 1947 the F.I.H.C. started ruling the official bodybuilding sport. The first in the sport history „Mr. Universe“ contest was organized in 1947 in the USA. Since that time it was always held together with the F.I.H.C. World Weightlifting Championship. In 1947 the Over All „Mr. Universe“ Champion was a pupil of BOB HOFFMAN American STEVE STANKO.

By the initiative of BOB HOFFMAN the second F.I.H.C. „Mr. Universe“ contest was held in 1948 in London (Great Britain). It was organized during the London Olympic Games. This was possible to do only when a member of the I.O.C. International F.I.H.C. federation was behind it. Formally the organizer of the „Mr. Universe“ was a member of the F.I.H.C. British B.A.W.L.A. (British Amateur Weightlifting Association). The Over All „Mr. Universe“ was again a pupil of BOB HOFFMAN American JOHN GRIMEK.

In the Socialist Countries bodybuilding appeared also by the efforts of BOB HOFFMAN. It happened in 1959 when the F.I.H.C. organized World Weightlifting Championship in Warszawa (People‘s Republic of Poland, P.N.R., Polska Narodowa Respublika). As a tradition the F.I.H.C. bodybuilding „Mr. Universe“ was held at the same time. Then the Over All Champion was French GUY MIERCZUK. The people of the Socialist World first time saw „live“ bodybuilders. National Weightlifting Federations of the Socialist Countries started setting their bodybuilding departments. First of all it happened in the U.S.S.R., People‘s Republic of Poland, German Democratic Republic (D.D.R., Deutches Demokratishe Republik) and Czechoslovakian SSR (Č.S.S.R., Československa Socialisticka Respublika).

WHY SOCIALIST BODYBUILDING WENT IT‘S OWN WAY?

We have mentioned before that BOB HOFFMAN ifluenced on the establishing bodybuilding departments at the National Weightlifting Federations of Socialist countries. It happened after 1959 F.I.H.C. bodybuilding „Mr. Universe“ held in Warszawa (People‘s Republic of Poland).

In 1963 the Ministry of Sport of the U.S.S.R. (Министерство спорта С.С.С.Р., Госкомспорт С.С.С.Р.) issued an order to set the bodybuilding department at the U.S.S.R. Weightliftin Federation. It was named the „Bodybuilding Committee“. The Chairman of the Committee was a known R.S.F.S.R. weightlifter ROMAN MOROZ (Роман Мороз). There were no real bodybuilders in the U.S.S.R. then. Weightlifters did not knew much about it too. This way the Committee did nothing and finally stopped working.

Later the first among the Socialist countries was the U.S.S.R. again ant it was the Lithuanian SSR. The new grown bodybuilders required leadership.

On April 19, 1968 during the International Contest in Kaunas (Lithuanian SSR) a new International Bodybuilding Committee was established. It was named the „U.S.S.R. Social Committee of Bodybuilding“ («Общественный комитет по атлетической гимнастике С.С.С.Р.»). The Committee was rulled by the Council of five persons:

1. ROMAN MOROZ (Роман Мороз), Moscow, R.S.F.S.R.

2. VLADIMIR PETROV (Владимир Петров), Moscow, R.S.F.S.R.

3. GENADIJ BALDIN (Геннадий Балдин), Moscow, R.S.F.S.R.

4. VYTAUTAS ZUMERIS, Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR

5. VALERIJ KORESKOV (Валерий Корешков), Vilnius, Lithuanian SSR.

The Chairman of the Committee was the mentioned above ROMAN MOROZ. Folowing six years the Committee rulled the official U.S.S.R. bodybuilding sport. We want to underline that the Committee (International Bopdybuilding Organization) was set two years before the I.F.B.B. (International Federation of Body Builders) Sport Federation established in 1970 in Belgrade (Yugoslavia). Until 1970 the I.F.B.B. was a private company of JOE and BEN WEIDER brothers – not a sport federation.

Why we are discussing the same topic again? We must speak about the F.I.H.C. rules that several decades influenced the development of bodybuilding in the Socialist countries.According the F.I.H.C. rules the basics of bodybuilding are power exercises. Only this way F.I.H.C. bodybuilding was connected with weightlifting. Only this way bodybuilding was clearly close to a recognized Olympic sport and that was a big wish of BOB HOFFMAN.

In 1947 F.I.H.C. started ruling the official bodybuilding sport in the World. Power exercises were at all contest programmes. It lasted until 1969 when F.I.H.C. stopped it. In 1973 the U.S.S.R. Ministry of Sport issued the order to prohibit bodybuilding. One way F.I.H.C. rules minimized the prosecution of bodybuilding in the Socialist countries. At the same time it stopped development of bodybuilding as it was in the „Western“ World. This way the Socialist bodybuilders were left behind the „Western“ ones.

After 1969 there were no more power exercises at the „Western“ competitions. For many years the U.S.S.R. bodybuilders guestioned why they have power exercises at their contests? Power exercises was the obstacle to develop perfect bodies. Bodybuilders had to make a choice – to develop power or to develop their bodies.

If we speak about the U.S.S.R. we can state that the first bodybuilders were similar to the „West“ bodybuilders due to their individual nature. The U.S.S.R. leading athletes were Lithuanians VALDAS ALIUBAVICIUS, LEONAS PIVORIUNAS, CESLAV TAMULEVIC (Чеслав Тамулевич), PRANAS MURAUSKAS, Estonian OLEV ANNUS (Олев Аннус) and Russian VLADIMIR DUBININ (Владимир Дубинин). The bodybuilders who went the way of power exercises did not have perfect muscles. A good example is the U.S.S.R. Champion ALEKSANDR LEMECHOV (Александр Лемехов, R.S.S.F.R., Severodvinsk).

Bodybuilders of the Lithuanian SSR dominated in the U.S.S.R. until in 1987 the official recognized by Government U.S.S.R. Bodybuilding Federation was set. Discussing about the F.I.H.C. influence on bodybuilding we will illustrate it through Lithuanian bodybuilders.

We can state that the representatives of the famous „Vilnius Bodybuilding School“ (“Вильнюсская школа культуризма») were equal to the „Western“ bodybuilders at once. The „School“ was led by CESLAV TAMULEVIC (Чеслав Тамулевич). The „School“ bodybuilders were on top always due to the training methods. These methods were without developing classic power exercises. Body was the priority. Best representatives of the „School“ were VALDAS ALIUBAVICIUS, PRANAS MURAUSKAS, RICARDAS KRINICKIS, EUGENE ZURCEV (Евгений Журцев), EUGENE GORELIK (Евгений Горелик), STASYS CUKANOVAS (Стасис Цукановас). At the same time Kaunas bodybuilders went the F.I.H.C. way. Power exercises and methods dominated at their training sessions. Nobody in the U.S.S.R. knew anything about diet. It lasted until in 1976 the Estonian OLEV ANNUS (Олев Аннус) appeared ripped on the contest stage. The first International level bodybuilder from Kaunas was VLADAS KAPCEVICIUS (Владас Капцявичус). In 1977 he nearly won agaist leading U.S.S.R. bodybuilder OLEV ANNUS at the „Georg Tenno Memorial“ («Мемориал Георга Тенно», 1971 - 1989) in Tallinn (Estonian SSR).

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.