1978 "AMBER PRIX INTERNATIONAL".

1978. HISTORIC ‚AMBER PRIX INTERNATIONAL“.

WHAT WAS KEPT IN SILENCE?

Why today DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS name stay together with BEN WEIDER, OSCAR HEIDENSTAM, OSCAR STATE and BOB FOFFMAN? Why Russia journalists call DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS „The Father of Russia Bodybuilding?“ („Отец российского культуризма»).

We would like to underline that after 1973 bodybuilding sport was prohibited in the U.S.S.R. and Socialist countries. Bodybuilders were prosecuted.  DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS was alone to fight against the bodybuilding prohibition after the 1977 another more strict order of the U.S.S.R. Ministry of Sport (Министерство спорта С.С.С.Р., Госкомспорт С.С.С.Р.) to prosecute bodybuilding. No one bodybuilder or organizer dared to stay together with DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS in his fight. No one thought that DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS will succeed.

The 1977 „Amber Prix International“ („Gintarinis prizas“, «Янтарный приз», 1968 – 2023, Klaipėda, Lithuania, organizer was DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS) was like a rehersal for the folowing risky steps of DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS. The 1977 contest was held in public at the Klaipeda Sea Port Palace. Bodybuilders of the DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS gym collected the spectators that were their friends and family members. The hall was full of people. The contest was illegal to the political powers of that time.

The 1978 „Amber Prix International“ was organized just after DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS visited Moscow to defend the bodybuilding sport. In Moscow he presented his petition to the U.S.S.R. highest political organizations. The petition was given to the Central Committee of the U.S.S.R. Communist Party  (Центральный Комитет Коммунистической партии С.С.С.Р.), to the U.S.S.R. Supreme Council (Верховный Совет С.С.С.Р.) and to the U.S.S.R. Ministry Council (Совет Министров С.С.С.Р.) and to the U.S.S.R. cental political newspapers  „Pravda“ («Правда») and „Izvestija“ («Известия»). Due to the petition of DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS U.S.S.R. political powers gave permition to organize „Amber Prix International“ in Klaipeda (Lithuanian SSR).

But DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS wanted much more. He dared to organize the „U.S.S.R. Bodybuilding Championship“ («Чемпионат С.С.С.Р. по культуризму») together with 1978 „Amber Prix“. No one knew what the reaction of political powers will be. Nevermind DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS had taken the risk and did this step.

UNIQUE STAGE OF THE CONTEST.

We will start with very clear and simple items. Now working on the „World Bodybuilding Encyclopedia“ («Энциклопедия всемирного культуризма») we scrutinized information, pictures of all previous U.S.S.R. bodybuilding competitions: since 1965 until 1978. No one contest stage was equal to the stage of the 1978 „Amber Prix International“. We can state that the stage of the 1977 „Amber Prix“ was more or less like the stage of the 1972 „Georg Tenno Memorial“ («Мемортал Георга Тенно», 1971 – 1989, Tallinn, Estonian SSR, organizer Innar Mardo, Иннар Мардо). But the stage of the 1978 „Amber Prix International“ was unique with it‘s capasity and decorations. In the centre of the stage was a big picture of FRANK ZANE. In the background of FRANK ZANE was a huge map of the U.S.S.R.. On both sides of the decoration were all fifteen National flags of the Socialist Republics of the U.S.S.R.. Who has seen anything like this in the U.S.S.R. before? How DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS dared to do this? Nobody knew what the reaction of the U.S.S.R. political powers will be after this. This was a real confrontation with the communist regime. Anyway DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS took the risk and did it.

NO SUPPORT. BODYBUILDERS SLEPT IN PIONEER CAMP.

Nobody supported and nobody financed the 1978 „Amber Prix International“. All working group consisted of DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS himself, mother of his wife, his wife and some bodybuilders from the gym of DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS. Competitiors of the competition were given sleeping places at the sea coast in a Giruliai resort children‘s pioneer camp. The vocation season did not starteed then. The stage decoration was done by the mother of DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS wife -  it was made of the children‘s nappies. As DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS asked a known Belorussia painter OLEG ISAJEV (Олег Исаев) painted a figure of FRANK ZANE. In the background of it he painet the map of the U.S.S.R.. The prizes for the first six places of each category were made by Klaipeda bodybuilder OLEG SEROV (Олег Серов). Medals and diplomas were made by Klaipeda design company. The expences were covered by DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS himself.

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.