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WORLD BODYBUILDING HISTORY. HOW IT WAS IN REAL.

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WORLD‘S BODYBUILDING HISTORY. REMEMBER IT.

BEN WEIDER. HOW IT WAS IN REAL

PREAMBULA.

The authors of this historical article do not seek to present the chronological events. Our aim is to underline the most important historical International bodybuilding moments. The chronological history of our sport was presented in various languaages earlier in the 28-th issue of the International magazine „Sport of fitness and bodybuilding“ (2008) and at the International Site www.wff.lt . In 1986 the former WABBA (World Amateur Body Building Association) President and owner SERGE NUBRET  sent to the President WFF-WBBF International DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS his own archeives that were very usefull.

We will present „World Bodybuilding History“ articles in the folowing way.

-          Part 1. Ben Weider

-          Part 2. Prohibited Sport

-          Part 3. Communist Party Proclames the Champion

-          Part 4. Bodybuilding Lithrature

-          Part 5. First Through Iron Wall

-          Part 6. Your Own Oppinion

-          Part 7. Bodybuilding Future Decided in the Balcony

-          Part 8. Vatican Notices Our Efforts

Later will folow historical articles of the most important bodybuilding countries.

 

WORLD BODYBUILDING HISTORY. UNKNOWN STORIES. HOW IT WAS IN REAL.

Part 1.

BEN WEIDER.

As any history, the World Bodybuilding History was too much complicated. Somebody knows something, most do not know anything. Our 120 years lasting sport history used to be presented in many different ways.

During the last fivety years International President WFF-WBBF (World Fitness federation, World Body Building Federation) DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS personally took part at many most important International historic bodybuilding events. At many of them DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS was not only a participant, but even many of these events had happened under his initiative.
During all his active life in sport DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS was always in good friendly relations with the International Bodybuilding Top Personalities: BEN WEIDER (Canada), WAYNE DE MILIA (USA), PAMELA KAGAN (Canada), PAUL CHUA (Singapore), SERGE NUBRET, AKLI CHABENI (both France), OSCAR HEIDENSTAM, IVAN DUNBAR (both UK), VOJTECH FIALA (Czechoslovakia). During a long period of time to set some definite questions the Owner and the life President of the IFBB (International Federation of Body Builders) BEN WEIDER many times used to ask DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS to meet his assistant RAFAEL SANTONJA. Even today EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS communicates with nearly all International bodybuilding leaders who play important role in the official World‘s sport movement.
Personal relations of DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS with BEN WEIDER always had and still have big historical value. Due to these relations DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS was always in the centre of important International activities. These relations with BEN WEIDER gave him opportunity to get the information that others could not get. This gave the possibility for DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS to influence many important International bodybuilding events. Rich WFF-WBBF archieves prove decades lasting relations, personal meetings and correspondence with BEN WEIDER.
BEN WEIDER in his private magazines many times published materials sent by DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS. Much attention in Weider‘s magazines had been given for even now one of the World‘s oldest still runnig International „Amber Prix International“ Contest (1968-2017, „Gintarinis prizas“, „Янтарныйприз»). For many years „Amber Prix International“ was the unofficial bodybuilding championship of the USSR (for many years bodybuilding was prohibited in the USSR, Union Soviet Socialist Republics). For most time of the history of „Amber Prix International“ DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS was the main organizer of this event. And still he is (under the WFF-WBBF). Evaluating the importance of the „Amber Prix International“ a number of times BEN WEIDER sent his own signed Diplomas for the „Amber Prix International“ champions. It was BEN WEIDER to press Vice President IFBB International PAUL CHUA and President IFBB Israel ASHER FRIG to send their teams to Klaipeda (Lithuania) to participate at the „Amber Prix International“. It was BEN WERDER to give the order for his Spanish assistant RAFAEL SANTONJA to host „Amber Prix International“ Champions at the IFBB Mediteranian Contest held in Marocco (see letters of BEN WEIDER, http://www.wff.lt, read forum). Finally relations between DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS and BEN WEIDER reached such a level, that BEN WEIDER asked to stop discussing and making decissions via correspondence and to start to settle all important questions at the common private meetings. During a definite period of time a number of meetings of DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS and BEN WEIDER were held – in Leningrad, Moscow (USSR, Russia), in Paris (France), in Kuala Lampur (Malaysia), in New York (USA). DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS was always a personal guest of BEN WEIDER. BEN WEIDER had been ready to meet DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS at any possible time even postponing his other works and duties (see letters of BEN WEIDER). The top culmination of the common relations was when both decided to set a Joint-Venture Company (protocol of intentions, November 25, 1990, Helmsley Palace, New Yourk, USA, archieves WFF-WBBF International).
No matter that later on DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS went his own way and started the WFF-WBBF International, no matter he stopped his official contacts with the IFBB, he has always been in friendly relations with BEN WEIDER. Even when DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS was already leading WFF-WBBF International but keeping old common contacts BEN WEIDER used to send him the official IFBB magazines and materials (until BEN WEIDER stepped away and sold his private IFBB magazines in 2000).

 

Part 2.

PROHIBITED SPORT.
For quite a long period of time bodybuilding was prohibited in the USSR and in almost all Socialist Countries. For political reasons being as the „Western sport“ bodybuilding  has never been supported in all socialist World. Everywhere gyms were closed, contests prohibited, sportsmen and organizers were prosecuted, media flew as maximum dirt as possible to bodybuilding. Under pressure of the Communist Party the Ministry of Sport of the USSR (Union Soviet Socialist Republics) issued a strict order against bodybuilding and this way they had a juridical law basis to follow bodybuilders. For many years of the prosecution of bodybuilding sport in the Sport Ministry (Goskomsport) was employed a former weightlifter E.MOROZ (later V.TAMARLAKOV). Both of them were responsible for controlling the bodybuilding in the USSR. A step below of them was another one representative  - the Lithuanian ROMANAS KALINAUSKAS. Everybody was afrayed to fight or even to say a single word to stand for bodybuilding. As in such a wide territory nobody organized bodybuilding contetsts, but DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS dared to do it first with „Amber Prix International“ in Klaipeda (Lithuania). ROMANAS KALINAUSKAS and other high officials wanted to stop DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS saying that in case the new procecutions started they are not going to loose their Communist Party certificates and they will stay away from DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS. Nevertheless DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS did not listen to them and did it on his own risk. The contest in Klaipeda took place, only the DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS played his game with the Sport Ministry and he had to make some artificial changes adding power exercises to the usual programme. Just after this DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS started active correspondence with the Sport Ministry of the USSR as well as with the main USSR political media: newspapers „Pravda“, „Izvestija“, „Soviet Sport“, which used to publishe awfull articles against bodybuilding (like „Trijanskij kon kulturizma“..). Then DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS wrote a number of articles protecting bodybuilding and started to collect signatures of known people to support  these articles. It became a real pettition to unite people to protect bodybuilding sport (these historic materials are in the archieves of the WFF-WBBF International (World Fitness Federation, World Body Building Federation). Then DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS on his risk went to Moscow to register and present these materials at the Headquarters of the Central Committe of the Communst Party of the USSR and the Ministry Council of the USSR. When back to Lithuania from Moscow DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS started to receive lots of calls from the Headquarters of the Central Committe of the Communst Party USSR. The discussion started. It was evident that some positive agreement may happen. That bothered Lithuanian Communist Leaders. Finally the telepfone of DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS was totally swiched off line and they invited DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS to Klaipeda Headquarters asking to stop pushing the highest USSR officials. At the same time, though bodybuilding was a prohibited sport, they gave DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS permittion to organize anual „Amber Prix International“ (1968-2017, „Gintarinis prizas“, «Янтарныйприз») in Klaipeda. It is not a secret that for many years „Amber Prix International“ was the only one International bodybuilding contest in the Socialist World and until 1988 it was recognized and proclaimed  as a not official Championship of the USSR. If not the „Amber Prix International“ nuobody knows what would have been the history of bodybuilding in the USSR and all Socialist World. Nobody knows how the Socialist bodybuilding sport would have met the first USA bodybuilders that came to the USSR under the leadership of the Owner and life President IFBB (International Federation of Body Builders) BEN WEIDER. BEN WEIDER was an old personal friend of DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS. For many years they bogth had active correspondence, a number of mutual meetings in various countries. Finally they were working on setting a Join-Venture Company (again these documents are in the archieves of the WFF-WBBF International (World Fitness Federation, World Body Building Federation. See documents and letters of BEN WEIDER, http://www.wff.lt, read forum).