BODYBUILDING IN SOCIALIST WORLD. THE BOOK.

[WFF-WBBF secretary service]

WORLD BODYBUILDING HISTORY.
PERIODS OF BODYBUILDING DEVELOPMENT IN SOCIALIST COUNTRIES
BODYBUILDING IN SOCIALIST WORLD. HISTORIC BOOK.
In the last period of time International sport society started to be interested in the history of our sport. Some time ago the World learned about the first fitness athlete from the USA BRONE DUBAR (New York, 1927). The World learned about the various International Sport Organizations. Today a number of historical books and articles are published. Many of them are presenting not full and often incorrect information. For example, several years ago in Lithuania was issued a book “Lithuanian bodybuilding history” which carries facts that are not correct. Some time ago in Russia was issued a book about a famous former Russia bodybuilder VLADIMIR DUBININ. For thirty years VLADIMIR DUBININ  was the President of the National IFBB (International Federation of Body Builders)  Federation of  Russia. There are many not correct facts and interpretations on the history of the USSR bodybuilding in the book.
Until now nobody did a thorough analysis of our sport history and nobody ever underlined important facts for all World bodybuilding history.
Working more than fifty years the WFF-WBBF International (World Fitness Federation, World Body Building Federation)  is planning to publish in various languages a historical book on the Bodybuilding in Socialist Countries in 2020. Remember – the Socialist World united half of the World Countries. Due to the “Iron Wall” it was living a separate individual life that was much different from the “Western” World. This book will be a part of our unique International project – the “World Bodybuilding Encyclopedia”.
PREPARED IN LITHUANIA, PRINTED IN INDIA.
The historical book on the Bodybuilding in Socialist Countries will be prepared in Lithuania and printed in India. At this work the I.S.U. International Sports University (www.isuniversity.lt ) is involved very much now. Since 2017 I.S.U. is associated member of the UNESCO at the United Nations (UN). Professors VASILIJ BESPALENKO (Ukraine), LALIT KUMAR SONI (India) and DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS and World Bodybuilding Pioneer VALERIJ KORESHKOV (Lithuania) are working in the project very much.
PERIODS OF BODYBUILDING DEVELOPMENT IN SOCIALIST COUNTRIES
Basing on the political situation the development of bodybuilding in the socialist countries can be divided in the following periods:
-          The First Period, 1957-1970
-          The Second Period, 1971-1975
-          The Third Period, 1976-1981
-          The Fourth Period, 1982-1986
-          The Fifth Period, 1987-1991
THE FIRST PERIOD
Bodybuilding in the socialist countries started at the second part of fifties of the last century. It appeared suddenly and at once it became very popular. Many people wanted to develop and change their bodies. Enthusiasts used to unite in groups and arrange the gyms. Basing on the possibilities and fantasy for a long time everybody himself was making individual equipment for the training. The training methods were also individual. Often athletes were making experiments on themselves. 
A known contemporary poet and drama producer, a former famous USSR bodybuilding trainer VITALIJ ASOVSKIJ (Vilnius, Lithuania) writes:
«Developing the Ancient God.
When in the middle of fifties of the last century bodybuilding was a popular sport in the Western countries, the Europe was making the first steps. But the young people did not pay any attention to the negatyve sayings about bodybuilding and rushed to the gyms to train. The enthusiasm was unbelievable. The first Man reached the Cosmoss. People thought that there are no limits and everything is possible. It seemd that the Golden Times came. We know how to reach the Cosmoss, how to develop atomic enegry, how to create fantastic films and how to write perfect books. It seemed that people had found the way to develop their brains like a sportsmen do at their training. Developing the brains the people are like a sportsmen. Popular saying „If one has body power, no brains needed“ seemed uncorrect. The stereotip of a scientist was like an old thinny man with spectacles. People were jocking that a scientist better do not go outside his home in a windy day. The wind will blow him out. And now, finally, the bodybuilding opened new horizons to develop both brains and muscles as well. It seemed that a Man is very close to the God“.
There was no any leadership structure in the socialist bodybuilding at that time.  It was impossible to set up a bodybuilding federation on International or National level. First of all due to political reasons. Bodybuilding came to the Socialist World as a „Western“ kind of sport and this was anti-moral from the piont of view of the communist morality. Have in mind terrible confrontation between the capitalist and socialist systems in the World at that time.
Nevertheless it was the time of great and sppedy popularization of bodybuilding. Bodybuilding was growing by itself without any governmental support. Then in the USSR bodybuilding had another name. It was „Atletizm“or „Athletic gymnastics“. In Russia and Baltic Republics a number of local competitions were organized and these evens often collected crowds of spectators.
One of the bodybuilding pioneers in the USSR VALERIJ KORESHKOV (Vilnius, Lithuania) underlines that he  started regular bodybuilding training in 1957. The training process was primityve, athletes needed knowlidge. From time to time contests were organized. Every time the judging criteria was different. Most often competitions were of two parts – the power exercises and the posing.  First information about bodybuilding, about the famous athletes and some methods of training reached the USSR through bodybuilding magazines „Health and Strength“ and „Iron Man“ (both UK), through „Muscle Builder“(USA) and through “Sport dla Wszystkich“ (Poland). Then local press of various Socialiat Republics started publishing materials about bodybuilding too. Among them Russian „Gantelnaja gimnastika“ (1957, Борис Пустовойт, «Гантельная гимнастика»), „Sportivnaja zizn Rissii“ (1960-1970, "Cпортивная жизнь России"),  Lithuanian „Science and Life“ („1965 -1966, „Mokslas ir Gyvenimas“), „Kalba Vilnius“ (1967-1969), Polish „How to become strong and attractive“ (1960, Stanislaw Zakrzewski, „Jak stac sie silnym i sprawnym“), „Strength, health, beauty“ (1962, Stanislaw Zakrzewski, „Sila-sprawnosc-piekno“), „ABC of a Young Strongman“ (1965,  Stanislaw Zakrzewski, „ABC mlodego silacza“), Czechoslovakian „Through bodybuilding to strengh, sanity and beauty“ (1969, Michal Jablonski, Šport, Bratislava).
By the way, the above mentioned Polish writer STANISLAW ZAKRZEWSKI was among the first 10 ever awarded with the Certificate of Merit at the 1970 IFBB International Congress in Belgrade (Yugoslavia).
In the „Western“ countries in 1966 NABBA (National Amateur Body Building Association“) was organizing already the 16-th „Universe“ contest. In 1966 the  IFBB (International Federation of Body Builders“) was organizing the first European Championship. IFBB always followed NABBA. The first IFBB „Universe“ was held in 1959. Then there participated only eight bodybuilders from USA, Canada and Mexico. World Championships IFBB started much later when it was needed to show the officiality of the IFBB.
To clear up the international sport situation of these times we must speak about the 1970 Belgrade International Congress. At this Congress the IFBB was set up officially.
 
1970 INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS SETS UP IFBB.
WEIDER TELLS WHAT IFBB WAS DOING 25 YEARS.
We will underline a very important happening to the International movement of bodybuilding sport. That was the first IFBB International Congress (September 4, 1970, Belgrade, Yugoslavia, official documents any can find at the IFBB official page: http://www.ifbbpro.com/1970-congress/). For the next several decades this Congress influenced the official work for the bodybuilding recognition on official level.
Any could envy the friendship of OSCAR STATE, who was a close friend of the IFBB Owner and President BEN WEIDER. OSCAR STATE was the General Secretary of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF). He knew very well all aspects of the official International sports. OSCAR STATE teached and by his advices led BEN WEIDER  to the official International recognition. To register an International Federation on official level a number of cetrain procedures had to be done first:
-          there should be a comparitively big number of the national representatives in the countries;
-          to organize regularly at least a number of International competitons;
-          to call the International Congress to ellect the President and the leading stuff;
-          to set and adobe the Constitution and the judging rules.
This was done at the 1970 IFBB Congress in Belgrade. IFBB declared it represents fifty seven Countries. Twenty five of those Countries were present at the Congress. OSCAR STATE suggested to ellect BEN WEIDER  as „Life President“ of the IFBB and that was done then. The formalities done at the Belgrade Congress opened doors for the IFBB to join the International society of official recognized sports. In 1971 the IFBB joined the GAISF General Association of International Sports Federations. As BEN WEIDER  spoke, only the assistance of OSCAR STATE made this possible. Entering the GAISF the IFBB for long years left all othef International bodybuilding organizations behind. Membership in GAISF gave to the IFBB recognition and financial support of the Sport Ministries of a number of Countries. According to the GAISF rules one kind of sport can be represented by only one International sport federation. This made impossible for other bodybuilding organizations to seek the governmental support and recognition. It took decades until the World learned the real juridical and financial truth about the IFBB.
Today GAISF membership is not so much important. The last ten years official recognition of any International sport federation is evaluated only through one criteria – antidoping. To be recognized and supported on official level an International sport federation must sign the WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) antidopong Code. Then at the same time it concerns all National federations.
IFBB declares it‘s activities since 1946. Even then at Belgrade Congress there were questions about what the IFBB was doing until 1970? In the 1971 December issue of his magazine BEN WEIDER explains that 25 years the IFBB was collecting countries to join the IFBB.... Read below this great explanation!
„Many people have wondered what was happening within the IFBB between 1946, when the IFBB was founded by Ben and Joe in Montreal, and the 1st IFBB International Congress in 1970. In the December 1971 issue of „MUSCLE BUILDER / POWER“, in a guest editorial written by Ben Weider called "Come on in, the water’s fine", Ben states, "[i]During the intervening years, I traveled to more than 90 countries and my brother to more than 40 on behalf of bodybuilding." Ben goes on to say, "Between the years 1946 and 1971, we succeeded in getting 57 nations to affiliate."[/i]
At the same time the Socialist World was making the first steps at the great International contest stage. It were Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary to start bodybuilding in the socialist countries first. Bodybuilders of these countries organized local competitons and sometimes competed in between. New famous names appeared such as 1967 Czechoslovakia Champion  JURAJ VYSNY.
There was a number of various level bodybuilding contests organized in Lithuania every year. In 1966  competitions were held in the open air at Kaunas sea region and Palanga Baltic sea bay. With the words of „Power, beauty and health“ the first big contest was organized in 1967 in Kaunas „Sporto hale“. Very big crowd of spectators came to see the 1968 competition in Vilnius Vingio Park.
First to visit the mentioned countries from the USSR were the Lithuanians. In 1968 Lithuania Kaunas „Azuolas Gym“ bodybuilders  went to Warszawa to compete with „Herkules Gym“ athletes. The Lithuanians were led by VYTAUTAS ZUMERIS and the Polish team by EUGENIUSZ PAWLOK.
Being in Poland the bodybuilders of the Socialist Countries saw the first time a „Western“ bodybuilder. It was EINO AKKILA  from Sweeden who was having rest at the sea coast in the Polish Sopot resort. EINO AKKILA came to Poland just after winning the short category at the 1968 IFBB (International Federation of Body Builders) Europe Championship in Belgium.
Also in April 17, 1968 the first in the USSR International Contest was organized. It was held in Lithuania Kaunas City and national teams of Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia participated there. The competiton lasted two days and six thousand spectators filled the biggest hall of the city. The event was televised by the National television of Lithuania and that made bodybuilding even more popular. The category winners were KLEMENSAS ALSAUSKAS (Lithuania), ANDRZEJ LASKOWSKI (Poland) and LEONAS PIVORIUNAS (Lithuania). Then the over all Champion was LEONAS PIVORIUNAS (Vilnius, Lithuania).
Right after that the first „Amber Prix International“ (1968, „Gintarinis prizas“,  «Янтарный приз») contest was held in Lithuanian Klaipeda. The category winners were KLEMENSAS ALSAUSKAS, LIONGINAS DANILEVICIUS  and LEONAS PIVORIUNAS. Again the over all Champion was LEONAS PIVORIUNAS. Today „Amber Prix International“ is the World‘s oldest recognized traditional International bodybuilding competition.
Every day bodybuilding became more stronger and more popular. More competitoons were organized and new names came in public. It needed to have definite leadership to give some order for the movement.  On April 17, 1968 during the contest in Kaunas the „USSR Social Bodybuilding Committee“ («Общественный комитет по атлетической гимнастике СССР») was established. At this event participated representatives of the following Socialist Countries: Russia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The positions of the committee  members were the folowing:
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
1. ROMAN MOROZ, Moscow, Russia
2. VLADIMIR PETROV, Moscow, Russia
3. GENADIJ BALDIN, Moscow, Russia
4. VYTAUTAS ZUMERIS, Vilnius, Lithuania
5.     VALERIJ KOREŠKOV, Vilnius, Lithuania.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Along with the Executive Council a number of Committee Members were ellected:
6.     FIODOR MANKO, Leningrad, Russia
7.     ELEONORA VOLOKONCEVA, Leningrad, Russia
8.     VALERIJ SEMIONOV, Tiumen, Russia
9.     VLADIMIR DURNENKO, Omsk, Russia
10.EMANUILAS BEZMOZGIS, Riga, Latvia
11.ERVIN LIBERT, Tallin, Estonia.
The „USSR Social Bodybuilding Committee“ collected information about the bodybuilding gyms in the socialist countries and coordinated contests.
Then it was a calm and productive period of the USSR bodybuilding.
To set the future goals on August 31, 1968 the „USSR Social Bodybuilding Committee“ gatheres again. It was Lithuanian Klaipeda city. At this event participated representatives of the following Socialist Countries: Russia, Lithuania, Latvia and Azerbajan. At this meeting participated majority of the committee members and members of the executive council:
-          GENADIJ BALDIN, Moscow, Russia
-          VYTAUTAS ZUMERIS, Vilnius, Lithuania
-          VALERIJ KOREŠKOV, Vilnius, Lithuania
-          EMANUILAS BEZMOZGIS, Riga, Latvia
-          VALERIJ SEMIONOV, Tiumen, Russia
Also at the meeting were present: VLADIMIR AVANESOV (Baku, Azerbjan), VLADIMIR ILIOSHIN (Leningrad, Russia), JEVGENIJ KOLTUN (Tiumen, Russia), ALEKSEJ CERNAVIN (Omsk, Russia), JUOZAS JUSEVICIUS (Kaunas, Lithuania).
It came as a tradition and in 1969-1970 the „Amber Prix International“ contests were organized in Klaipeda.  Then the over all winners were: in 1969 ANTANAS MINEIKIS (Klaipeda, Lithuania) and in 1970 VLADIMIR DUBININ (Leningrad, Russia).
On November 15, 1970 the first noticable International contest was held in Tallinn (Estonia). Teams of Estonia, Russia and Liethuania participated there. The over all Champion was Estonian bodybuilder ARVO MERE, who won against the debiutant VLADIMIR DUBININ from Leningrad (Russia). The rest category winners were VLADIMIR LIPIJAINEN  and IVAN FREGATOV (both from Russia Leningrad).
Suddenly due to political reasons in 1971 the bodybuilding activities in the USSR and other socialist countries were stopped. For many years the Communist regime prohibited and prosecuted the bodybuilding.
INFORMATION.
More detailed information on the Global International Site www.wff.lt, see forum topics. Also information available on the Facebook pages: WFF-WBBF International, WFF-WBBF North America, WFF-WBBF South America, WFF-WBBF Asia, WFF-WBBF Europe, WFF-WBBF Africa, WFF-WBBF Asia Continental Federation, WFF-WBBF Pro Division, International Sport University (ISU, www.isuniversity.lt ), WPSF World Power Sports Federation.