REVOLUTION IN OUR SPORT

Total revolution in our sport. The 2024 “Amber Prix”

In 2024, the political and economic situation in the world remained largely unchanged. Russia’s war against Ukraine continued, affecting many areas of public life, including sport.

The crisis in bodybuilding also continued to deepen. Lithuania became one of the most evident examples of this process. The national IFBB federation, which had coordinated bodybuilding in Lithuania for many years, gradually distanced itself from traditional bodybuilding. Against the backdrop of recurring doping-control problems and related scandals, the federation faced the risk of losing state funding. Some athletes moved to other organizations, while those who remained increasingly failed to reflect the principles of natural sport. Similar tendencies were observed in other European countries.

The World WFF-WBBF Federation has been searching for solutions to these problems for decades. As early as 2005, Rune Andersson, then Director of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), officially confirmed in writing that the World Fitness Federation had joined the Anti-Doping Code. However, due to substantial financial obligations, the process was never fully completed. This issue remains unresolved today, pending the availability of the necessary funding.

Since the establishment of the World Fitness Federation in 1995, efforts have been made to develop sports disciplines focused on healthy lifestyles, aesthetics, and physical activity. Although the Federation consistently sought to distance itself from the extreme forms of bodybuilding, this proved difficult in practice, as athletes’ muscle mass continued to increase. Since 1999, special attention has been paid to the development of the Fit-Kids program and sports for athletes with disabilities. In 2004, Fitness Model categories were introduced into international competitions.

In 2024, the leadership of the WFF-WBBF Federation made a strategic decision to fundamentally change the direction of its activities. New sporting disciplines were presented and tested at the “World Grand Prix” tournaments in Kandava (Latvia) and Vilkaviskis (Lithuania), at the 16th “Georg Tenno Memorial” in Estonia, at the “Amber Prix” competition in Klaipeda, and at the Universe competition in Nida.

The Federation decided that, while maintaining bodybuilding disciplines until all formal issues concerning cooperation with WADA are resolved, its future focus would be placed on non-doping sports disciplines. To achieve this goal, several new physical activity disciplines were created and introduced, with plans for further expansion in the future. These developments laid the foundation for a sports reform that became fully visible at the 2025 “Amber Prix” competition in Klaipeda.

To discuss the future development of sport, two international congresses were organized in Klaipeda in 2024. During these congresses, eight entirely new sports disciplines were presented, and their judging and evaluation principles, as well as future development prospects, were discussed. In the same year, WFF-WBBF leaders visited Tallinn, Estonia, where joint projects and future cooperation plans were negotiated with representatives of Estonian sports organizations.

Following the 2024 “Amber Prix” tournament, leaders of foreign delegations were officially received at the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania. During the ceremony, organizers and athletes from various countries were awarded the World WFF-WBBF Federation “Honorary Silver Medal” for their contribution to the development of international sports cooperation.

2024 International Tournament “Amber Prix”.

Athletes from ten countries participated in the competition: Bulgaria, Estonia, Germany, India, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia, Slovakia, Finland, and Ukraine.

Over All Winners: Women: Jelena Ivanova (Latvia); Men: Rahul Joshi (India).

More information is on international site www.wff.lt