GEORG TENNO

IMPRISONED WITH NOBEL PRIZE OWNER ALEKSANDR SOLZHENITSYN.

GEORG TENNO – ESTONIA HEROE OF SOVIET TIMES.

SOCIALIST WORLD BODYBUILDING HISTORY.

In the sixties of the last century the greatest bodybuilding propaganda in the USSR was made by the Estonian weightlifter GEORG TENNO (Георгий Тэнно). GEORG TENNO was a former navy officer and participant of the Second World War. In 1948 due to a false accusement of spying against the USSR GEORG TENNO was arrested and sentenced to eight years imprisonment. It happened that GEORG TENNO was placed in the same prison cell together with the USSR disident ALEKSANDR SOLZHENITSYN (Александр Солженицын). During the imprisonment GEORG TENNO made five unsuccessfull attempts to run away. There is a story about GEORG TENNO in the famous book of ALEKSANDR SOLZHENITSYN„Arkhipelag Gulag“ named „The Runaway“ “ («Убежденный беглец»). About GEORG TENNO ALEKSANDR SOLZHENITSYNwrote: „He was the most stronger and the most brave of us...“. In 1970 Nobel Committee awarded ALEKSANDR SOLZHENITSYN with the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Ending the fifties of the last century GEORGIJ TENNO was released from the prison. He started working at the USSR Institute of Scientific Studies of the Physical Culture (ВНИИФК, Всесоюзный научно исследовательский институт физической культуры).

In 1968 GEORG TENNO published his book „The Athletism“ («Атлетизм»). At once it became very popular. The book was full of information: training methods, recupperation after workouts and various diets. At that time this was a unique information. Though GEORG TENNO did not speak about the sources of his knowlidge but it was evident he used various foreign literature. The work at the institute gave him such opportunities. After imprisonment GEORG TENNO knew very well all political moments and he was carefull. Due to this in his book he wrote that „bodybuilding is not to stay in fron of a mirror. Bodybuilding is to strenthen the muscles that will serve to the country“.

Suddenly when the prosecution of bodybuilding started GEORG TENNO  died in an accident. Who knows - maybe it was an accidental death.

To remember GEORG TENNO Estonians started organizing the „Georg Tenno Memorial“ («МемориалГеоргаТенно») contest in 1971. Fourteen Memorials were organized until 1989. For long years of the bodybuilding prohibition and prosecution in the Socialist Countries  „Georg Tenno Memorial“ and the historic „Amber Prix International“ („Gintarinis Prizas“, «Янтарный приз», 1968-2019) were the only one regular bodybuilding competitons in the Socialist Countries.

Remark: the documents of the „Georg Tenno Memorial“ collected by the President WFF-WBBF Estonia INNAR MARDO are kept in the archieves of the WFF-WBBF International Federation.