WORLD BODYBUILDING ENCYCLOPEDIA

WORLD’S OLDEST TRADITIONAL BODYBUILDING CONTESTS

Looking through the years and evaluating the status, significance, and historical value of competitions, three of the world’s oldest traditional bodybuilding contests that are still held today can be distinguished:

Nr. 1 – N.A.B.B.A. Universe

Organizer: National Amateur Body-Builders' Association (N.A.B.B.A.) Location: United Kingdom Established: 1950 First Overall Winner: Steve Reeves (USA)

Nr. 2 – Mr. Olympia

Founder: Joe Weider Location: United States Established: 1965 First Overall Winner: Larry Scott (USA)

Nr. 3 – Amber Prix International (“Amber Prize”)

Organizer: World Fitness Federation / World Bodybuilding Federation Location: Lithuania Established: 1968 First Overall Winner: Leonas Pivoriūnas (Lithuania)

Remark

These competitions are considered the oldest traditional bodybuilding contests due to their historical continuity, international recognition, and significant contribution to the development of bodybuilding worldwide.

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HISTORY BOOK OF ARUNAS PETRAITIS.

WE GO ON DEVELOPING WORLD’S SPORT.

PRERPARING FOR THE 60-TH “AMBER PRIX”.

Today, the sports community gathered for the presentation of a book by journalist and sports historian Arūnas Petraitis. The book is titled Lithuanian Bodybuilding 1965–2015. An Illustrated History of the “Iron” Sport.
During the event, the legendary “Amber Prix International”  was also remembered, first organized back in 1967. It is wonderful to see that this beautiful tradition continues – on May 1–2, the “Amber Prix” will take place for the 59th time.
Therefore, this was not only a book presentation, but also a meaningful discussion and exchange of ideas for the upcoming 60-th anniversary of the “Amber Prix,” which will be held next year, in 2027, in Klaipėda. The works done and the works we are doing for the coming unique contest were presented by the General Secretary W.F.F. – W.B.B.F. International Ugne Raudyte Daubariene and federation Official Alina Pelepko.
This is an especially significant event for the city of Klaipėda – the International tournament has been held here for 60 years, and all of this is thanks to DSc. Edmundas Daubaras, President of the International W.F.F. – W.B.B.F..
During the meeting, we revisited the old-school era of bodybuilding – a time when this sport was not only about physical form, but also a true art of aesthetics, plasticity, and stage culture, nurtured by our W.F.F. – W.B.B.F. community. The book highlights Lithuania’s highest achievements and gives special attention to Natalija Murnikovienė, who still holds the highest-level accomplishments to this day.
We spoke about how, in those times, great importance was placed on smooth and artistic posing transitions, the aesthetics of movement, and harmony on stage. A performance was much more than simply stepping on stage and demonstrating standard poses – it was the peak of bodybuilding as an art form.
This spirit was beautifully embodied by Aretas Kolmakovas, who demonstrated elegant and fluid transitions during the meeting, recalling the legendary days of the “Amber Prix.” Even more meaningfully, he himself participated in the “Amber Prix” tournaments for about ten times with his own individual posing program, making his performance a living reflection of our history and traditions.
This inspired a special idea for the upcoming 60-th anniversary in 2027 – to revive the classic artistic posing of the “Amber Prix” as a separate category, honoring our roots, aesthetics, and the unique philosophy of light and natural bodybuilding promoted by W.F.F. – W.B.B.F.. The idea will be fulfilled by Lithuania senior bodybuilder Aleksas Stankus and pretender to the Parliament Republic Lithuania Klaipeda polititian Romualdas Mile.
It would be not only a tribute to history, but also the return of true classical bodybuilding art to the stage.
Photos by: Audrius Kundrotas.

More information is on International Site www.wff.lt

REAL WORLD BODYBUILDING HISTORY.

SOLE MAN AGAINST U.S.S.R. POLITICAL POWER.

FIGHTS AGAINST BODYBUILDING PROHIBITION.

Fifty three years have passed since bodybuilding sport was prohibited and prosecuted in the U.S.S.R. and Socialist countries. Everybody keep silence as they have nothing to say. Yes, in 1973 most bodybuilders left the sport. Somebody went to weightlifting. Somebody went on with bodybuilding illegally. But – who dared to make real steps to fight with prohibition of bodybuilding by political powers? The only one and it was DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS. It is the right time to speak about this. We will tell the full story in the nearest future. We will cover the facts, we will present documents and we will make conclusions. Sure – the false „heroes“ will not like this.

SOLE MAN AGAINST U.S.S.R. POLITICAL POWER.

We will speak about the period of time afrer bodybuilding prohibition – after 1973. Topics of the article are:

-        Personalities of bodybuilding

-        Meetings of DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS at Ministry of Sport of the Č.S.S.R.

-        Meeting of DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS with Minister Sport of Lithuanian SSR

-        Discussions of DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS with U.S.S.R. press

-        Petition of DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS to U.S.S.R. Communist Party Central Committee in Moscow

-        Results, followers.

SOCIALIST BODYBUILDING PERSONALITIES.
SITUATION IN THE WORLD AND IN SOCIALISM.
In 1970, in Belgrade (Yugoslavia), the general secretary of F.I.H.C. (F.I.H., Fédération Internationale Haltérophile, later F.I.H.C., Fédération Internationale Haltérophile et Culturisme, and later I.W.F., International Weightlifting Federation), the British Oskar State, established the sports federation I.F.B.B. (International Federation of Body Builders). Until then, I.F.B.B. was a private commercial company, having nothing to do with official sport. Oskar State also organized the membership of the new I.F.B.B. federation in the international G.A.I.S.F. (Global Association of International Sports Federations). After more than twenty years of F.I.H.C. managing bodybuilding globally, since 1971, the I.F.B.B. federation began to lead world bodybuilding.
SOCIALIST BODYBUILDING PERSONALITIES.
Among the personalities of early socialist world bodybuilding in the U.S.S.R. were representatives from the R.S.F.S.R.: Genadij Baldin (Геннадий Балдин), Roman Moroz (Роман Мороз), Vladimir Dubinin (Владимир Дубинин). From Lithuanian S.S.R., they were Vytautas Zumeris, Valerijus Koreškovas (Валерий Корешков) — after the ban on bodybuilding, some chose heavy athletics, some completely left sports, and Vladimir Dubinin, after his loss in the 1974 international tournament “Georg Tenno Memorial” (“Georgo Tenno memorialas”, «Мемориал Георга Тенно», 1971–2025), left bodybuilding for thirteen years and did not interact with anyone from the bodybuilding world.
Later, after the coup in Lithuanian S.S.R. organized in 1973, when Juozas Jusevičius was unfairly removed from leadership, the leadership of Lithuanian S.S.R. bodybuilding was taken over for decades by Romanas Kalinauskas, who organized the coup, along with his irreplaceable assistants from Kaunas: Aleksandras Novikovas and Ramutis Kairaitis.
After the ban on sports in Klaipėda, bodybuilding took its original path. There was no one to follow. The former city bodybuilding leader, Antanas Jonuskutis, left Klaipėda, and those bodybuilders who wanted to continue training scattered to the basements of residential buildings.
Already in 1973, Dr. Edmundas Daubaras organized competitions of the remaining city bodybuilders in the old abandoned Klaipėda prison basement, and in 1974, he held the “underground” “Amber Prix” (Amber Prix International, “Gintarinis prizas”, «Янтарный приз», 1968–2026) tournament in a bomb shelter at the Klaipėda sea trade port. In 1975, Dr. Edmundas Daubaras secretly organized the “Amber Prix” again in one of Klaipėda’s secondary schools, and in 1976, Dr. Edmundas Daubaras held a public tournament with spectators in the Telšiai Culture House. Regardless of the ban on bodybuilding, in 1977, Dr. Edmundas Daubaras organized two public tournaments, including the “Amber Prix,” in the Klaipėda sea trade port cultural center. The halls were packed with spectators.
Similar events took place in other cities of Lithuanian S.S.R. and other Soviet Republics. Everyone was afraid of persecution and acted secretly. During the bodybuilding ban period, in the capital of Lithuanian S.S.R., under the cover of the sports society “Dinamo,” the “Vilnius Bodybuilding School” operated; however, during this period, it did not develop active work—it aimed to wait for better times. The school was led by Ceslav Tamulevic (Чеслав Тамулевич, 1945–2023) and Vitalij Asovskij (Виталий Асовский, 1952–2026).
During the bodybuilding ban years, there were no active organizers in Latvian S.S.R.
In Estonian S.S.R., Innar Mardo (1945–2002) managed to convince his government that, based on the traditions of past strongmen and wrestlers, bodybuilding was a “national sport.” Innar Mardo’s ideas found support in the government.
And that was all—there were no other prominent bodybuilding figures -  organizers in the U.S.S.R. at that time.
In 1975, bodybuilding in the Czechoslovakian S.S.R. was led by Vojtech Fiala. Thanks to personal connections, Vojtech Fiala organized the Czechoslovakian S.S.R. delegation’s trip to the I.F.B.B. European Championship, where Petr Stach became the Overall winner. This was a fantastic event during the period of the bodybuilding ban. In the same year, 1975, Dr. Edmundas Daubaras, while exchanging students at universities, worked in Prague, where he met Vojtech Fiala. The Czechs actively engaged Dr. Edmundas Daubaras, as he was the only Soviet bodybuilder to visit their country after the bodybuilding ban. In order to strengthen their position in the eyes of their political authorities, the Czechs demonstrated their “strong” ties with the Soviet Union through relations with Dr. Edmundas Daubaras. At the same time, in order to find out about the state of bodybuilding in the U.S.S.R., the leaders of Czechoslovakian S.S.R. bodybuilding wrote a letter to the before mentioned Genadij Baldin. Genadij Baldin explained that he was no longer involved in bodybuilding, as bodybuilding was disbanded and was under persecution. He wrote that only some individual organizers continued bodybuilding activities in the Baltic countries.

IMPORTANT 1975. MEETINGS AT SPORT MINISTRY.

In 1975 basing on the exchange of the University students DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS went to Czechoslovakia for two months. In Prague DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS met VOJTECH FIALA. During the following two months their meetings were often. Both had enough time to speak over the International bodybuilding situation. VOJTECH FIALA organized a visit to PETR STACH who was living close to Prague. PETR STACH told about the Europe Championship and explained DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS about his training systems and posed in front of him.

At the same time VOJTECH FIALA organized the meeting of DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS with the Chairmen of the Ministry of sport of the Czechoslovakian SSR (Č.S.T.V., Československy Svaz Telesne Vychovy). Questions of the situation around bodybuilding was spoken over.

1977 MEETINGS AT SPORT MINISTRY.

In 1977 still as a student of Vilnius State University DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS for two months went to Czechoslovakia again. Again working on the future cooperation between the U.S.S.R. and Czechoslovakian SSR bodybuilders DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS and VOJTECH FIALA visited the Ministry of Sport of  Czechoslovakian SSR. For the discussion meetings with the Chairmen of the Ministry were organized. In 1977 Czechoslovakian bodybuilding Federation had a room at the Ministry. Secretary of the federation was a famous bodybuilder PETER TLAPAK. He presented the headquarters of the federation, discussed the situation and posed in front of DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS.

VOJTECH FIALA for DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS organized a trip to a mountain resort where Czechoslovakia bodybuilders under support of the Government were preparing for the coming World Championship. DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS discussed various questions with athletes and trainers.

Also VOJTECH FIALA invited DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS to two meetings of the Czechoslovakia Bodybuilding Federation Council. The meetings were held by Professor FRANTISEK BULVA in the city of Brno. Under the requests of the participants DSc. EDMUNDAS DAUBARAS spoke on bodybuilding situation ion the U.S.S.R. and in Lithuania SSR.

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The Contribution of WFF–WBBF to the Development of Global Fit-Kid: 27 Years of International Sporting Tradition.

The history of Fit-Kid Championships from 1999 to 2025 represents 27 years of the development of international children’s and youth sport. An analysis of the results from this period shows not only the changing geography of championship victories, but above all the continuity of the international competition system developed within the framework of the W.F.F. – World Fitness Federation and W.B.B.F. – World Bodybuilding Federation.

Fit-Kid is a children’s fitness discipline that combines elements of gymnastics, aerobics, acrobatics, physical preparation and stage presentation. Its significance, however, extends beyond sporting competition itself. For children and young people, participation in competitions involves systematic training, physical development, discipline, cooperation with coaches and the opportunity to represent their country on the international stage.

WFF–WBBF as an International Platform

One of the most important elements in the history of Fit-Kid is the operation of the WFF–WBBF international competition system. Regular international championships make it possible to establish a long-term sporting tradition involving athletes, coaches, clubs, national teams and sports organizers from different countries.

Within this system, the international federation plays an organizational and integrating role. International competitions create a common environment for sporting competition, enable comparisons of athletic performance and provide continuity for the development of successive generations of participants.

From this perspective, Fit-Kid is not a separate, one-time project. It is part of a broader international fitness system in which, over decades, a structure of competitions, age categories, judging procedures and cooperation between clubs and national teams has been developed.

27 Years and Eight Countries

The results of the absolute Fit-Kid Championships for 1999–2025 show that titles were won by representatives of eight European countries: Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Serbia, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Hungary.

The geography of the championship victories changed over the years. During different periods, particular countries were more frequently represented among the champions, while new national representatives subsequently joined the competition. This demonstrates that the championship system was not limited to one country or one region, but developed across a broader European sporting environment.

Over the 27-year period, 27 championship titles were awarded. Some athletes won the title more than once, demonstrating the possibility of maintaining a high level of preparation and continuing competitive development. At the same time, new names regularly appeared, reflecting generational change and continuity within the system.

Continuity Between Generations

One of the most important characteristics of the Fit-Kid history is continuity. With each successive period, new participants, coaches and teams appear, while the international competition structure continues to operate.

This model is particularly important in children’s sport. A child who begins training can gradually progress through different stages of sporting development, participate in national and international competitions, gain experience and eventually become part of the next generation that continues the sporting tradition.

In this way, the history of Fit-Kid is not simply a list of champions. It represents a long-term sporting tradition developed across generations.

The International Character of the System

The results also demonstrate the distinctly international character of Fit-Kid. Championship victories have been distributed among several countries, while the geographical composition of the participants has changed over the years.

This is important for the development of children’s fitness because international competition provides additional motivation for training and development. Participants have the opportunity to meet athletes from other countries, experience different approaches to preparation and gain valuable experience in an international competitive environment.

Coaches and clubs also play an important role in this process. The development of an athlete is not based solely on individual talent, but also on long-term coaching, organizational support and the involvement of families.

The Social Significance of Fit-Kid

The 27-year history of the championships also has a broader social dimension. Children’s sport helps develop habits associated with physical activity, consistency and responsibility.

Participation in international competitions allows young athletes to gain experience, manage the pressure associated with performing and function within a sporting environment where rules, preparation and mutual respect are important.

For this reason, the development of Fit-Kid can be assessed not only through the number of championship titles, but also through the sustainability of the wider sporting environment that has developed around the discipline.

2025 – A Continuation of the Tradition

The year 2025 represents another stage in this history. According to the results provided, the absolute champion was Elzbieta Matoga of Poland.

However, the significance of this result should be viewed within the context of the entire 27-year period. One championship title is part of a much broader history involving many generations of athletes, coaches, clubs and national teams.

Conclusion

Twenty-seven years of Fit-Kid Championships demonstrate, above all, the continuity of an international sporting tradition. Between 1999 and 2025, 27 championship titles were awarded to athletes representing eight countries, with both returning champions and new generations of participants becoming part of the history of the competition.

From the perspective of WFF–WBBF, one of the most important achievements of this process is the creation and maintenance of an international platform for the development of children’s fitness. The competition system brings together athletes, coaches, clubs, national teams and organizers within a shared international sporting tradition.

The history of Fit-Kid is therefore not only a history of individual victories. It is above all 27 years of international children’s fitness development within the WFF–WBBF system, reflecting continuity, international cooperation and the emergence of successive generations of young athletes.

SOCIALIST BODYBUILDING — THE UNKNOWN PART OF WORLD SPORT HISTORY.

Against the Background of Western Bodybuilding — Another History That Remained Behind the Iron Curtain for Decades

What is known today about the bodybuilding that developed on the other side of the Iron Curtain?

When we speak about the history of world bodybuilding, we most often think of the United States, Great Britain, California, the famous “Mr. Universe” and “Mr. Olympia” competitions, world-renowned athletes, and the major Western bodybuilding organizations.

But this is only one side of the story.

On the other side of the Iron Curtain, bodybuilding also existed. There were athletes, coaches, judges, gyms, clubs, competitions, organizers, and people who, despite the political system and various restrictions, created their own bodybuilding traditions.

Today, this part of history remains virtually unknown to many followers of world bodybuilding.

And that is precisely why it must be remembered.

HISTORY WAS WRITTEN NOT ONLY BY THE WEST

Since 2012, the World WFF-WBBF Federation has been preparing a major historical project in three languages — the World Bodybuilding Encyclopedia.

This is not simply another book about champions, medals, and sporting records.

It is an attempt to look at bodybuilding as a global historical phenomenon.

As this material has been researched, one fact has become increasingly clear: until now, the history of world bodybuilding has often been presented primarily from a Western perspective. Much attention has been devoted to sports organizations and competitions in Western countries. This is an important part of bodybuilding history, but it is far from the whole story.

During the 20th century, the world was divided into two major political and economic systems — East and West.

There were not only political borders between them.

There was also an information barrier.

The sporting world was divided as well.

As a result, for many years the West knew very little about what was happening in Eastern Europe and other socialist countries.

But sporting history did not stop there.

It was simply being created on the other side of the border.

A BODYBUILDING THAT “DID NOT EXIST”?

In a certain sense, the history of socialist bodybuilding is a paradox.

Bodybuilding existed even though it was not always recognized within the official sports system.

Athletes trained even though their sport was viewed with suspicion in some countries.

Competitions were held even though many of them never became part of the official international sporting record.

There were people who created bodybuilding clubs and traditions, even though their activities often depended on the attitude of the particular political and sporting system.

Therefore, socialist bodybuilding cannot be judged today solely by how much information about it survived in the Western press.

The absence of information is not proof that historical events did not take place.

This is one of the main reasons why the history of socialist bodybuilding deserves to be studied separately.

FOUR PERIODS IN THE HISTORY OF SOCIALIST BODYBUILDING

Based on the historical material collected so far, four major periods in the development of socialist bodybuilding can be identified.

I. THE ROMANTIC PERIOD OF BODYBUILDING — 1963–1973

This was a period of beginnings and enthusiasm.

Bodybuilding was only beginning to establish itself within the sporting world. There was no unified system, no common set of rules, and no international flow of information comparable to what exists today.

Individual enthusiasts played an enormous role.

They searched for information, read foreign magazines, studied photographs, followed Western athletes, developed training methods on their own, and tried to apply whatever knowledge they were able to obtain.

A new culture gradually developed in gyms.

The body became not only a symbol of physical strength, but also an object of discipline, aesthetics, and personal improvement.

Many traditions that would survive for decades were born during this period.

This was the romantic period of bodybuilding — a time when the sport was often built not for financial gain, but through enthusiasm and dedication.

II. THE PERIOD OF BANS AND PERSECUTION — 1973–1987

This period was completely different.

In some socialist countries, bodybuilding faced official distrust, various restrictions, bans, and administrative pressure.

Attitudes toward bodybuilding were contradictory.

In some countries it was regarded as something foreign, unnecessary, or ideologically unacceptable. Particularly controversial was the influence of Western culture, which increasingly reached Eastern European athletes through the press, photographs, sports literature, and training methods.

Yet something paradoxical happened.

The more restrictions appeared, the more bodybuilding moved into the sphere of enthusiasts, sports clubs, and private gyms.

It did not disappear.

It continued to exist.

Sometimes officially.

Sometimes semi-officially.

Sometimes almost underground.

This period is especially important because it tested the determination of many bodybuilding enthusiasts.

Some were forced to withdraw.

Others continued their work.

Still others became mentors to a new generation of bodybuilders.

Therefore, this period can be described not only as a period of bans, but also as a period of bodybuilding's survival.

III. THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD — THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOCIALIST SYSTEM

At the end of the 1980s, the political map of Europe began to change rapidly.

Sport changed as well.

New opportunities for travel emerged.

Information channels opened.

Athletes gained the opportunity to see directly what was happening in the West.

They could participate in international competitions, establish direct contacts with foreign organizations, and exchange experience.

The bodybuilding world, which for decades had been divided into two separate systems, began to come together.

But another process began at the same time.

The old history began to disappear.

Some of the people who had built bodybuilding during the socialist period withdrew from active involvement.

Some archives remained in private hands.

Some documents were lost.

Many old competitions and their participants were not included in later international historical publications.

Thus, political borders collapsed, but the historical gap did not disappear overnight.

IV. THE PRESENT PERIOD

Today, bodybuilding is global.

An athlete from Lithuania can compete in the United States.

A coach from Europe can communicate directly with colleagues in Asia.

Information about training, nutrition, and sporting methods is available throughout much of the world.

But globalization has another side.

Globalization can sometimes erase historical differences.

The new generation sees the present, but does not always know what came before it.

That is why it is especially important today to preserve not only current sporting achievements, but also the history of the people, organizations, and competitions that shaped the sport.

THE “AMBER PRIX” — A LIVING TESTIMONY OF HISTORY

In the history of Lithuanian bodybuilding, the “Amber Prix” holds a special place.

In 2027, Klaipėda will mark the 60th anniversary of this traditional bodybuilding event.

This is not simply a symbolic anniversary.

It represents six decades of sporting history.

Six decades during which political systems, state borders, the organization of sport, access to information, and bodybuilding itself all changed.

But the tradition survived.

That is why the history of the “Amber Prix” is important not only to Lithuanian sport.

It is part of the broader European and world history of bodybuilding.

There are few traditional bodybuilding competitions in the world whose history reaches back so many decades.

Only the NABBA “Mr. Universe,” organized in England since 1950, and the “Mr. Olympia” competition, organized in the United States since 1965, have older traditions.

Therefore, the 2027 anniversary is an opportunity not only to remember the past, but also to take a new look at the history of bodybuilding.

WHY DO WE NEED TO RETURN TO THE PAST TODAY?

Because history very quickly becomes legend.

And legend does not always coincide with fact.

One person remembers events one way.

Another remembers them differently.

One publication gives one date.

Another gives a different one.

One athlete remains in collective memory.

Another, although perhaps equally important, is forgotten.

That is why history must not only be told.

It must be documented.

Old competition records must be found.

Photographs must be preserved.

Competition posters must be collected.

Those who personally witnessed these events must be interviewed.

Dates and facts must be verified.

And, above all, history must be viewed from a broader perspective.

NOT EAST AGAINST WEST, BUT ONE COMMON HISTORY OF BODYBUILDING

When we speak about the history of socialist bodybuilding, the goal is not to set East against West.

Quite the opposite.

The goal is to show that both parts of this history existed simultaneously and influenced one another.

Western bodybuilding influenced the East.

Eastern athletes and coaches also developed their own methods, traditions, and sporting culture.

The conditions were different.

The opportunities were different.

The political environment was different.

But the human desire to become stronger, to improve oneself, and to achieve better physical development was the same.

Therefore, there is little value today in asking which side of bodybuilding history is more important.

What matters is understanding that without one of these parts, the history of world bodybuilding remains incomplete.

HISTORIES THAT MUST NOT BE LOST

The preparation of the World Bodybuilding Encyclopedia and the historical project dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the “Amber Prize” provide an opportunity to fill one of the significant gaps in the history of world bodybuilding.

It is an opportunity to bring together, in a single historical narrative, what was divided for decades.

The history of Western and Eastern bodybuilding.

The world's major competitions and smaller events that were nevertheless historically significant.

International organizations and local sports clubs.

Famous champions and the people who never became world champions but whose work laid the foundations for future generations.

Because sporting history is created not only by winners.

It is created by people.

And if we do not preserve their stories today, tomorrow there may be no one left to tell them.

THE HISTORY OF BODYBUILDING HAS NOT YET BEEN FULLY WRITTEN

The history of bodybuilding is not a finished book.

It is still being written.

Every newly discovered document, every old photograph, every competition record, and every eyewitness account can add something to the overall picture of world bodybuilding.

Therefore, studying the history of socialist bodybuilding is not simply a look into the past.

It is a responsibility to the future.

So that future generations will know that bodybuilding did not emerge in one country, one city, or one organization.

It developed in many places.

Under different conditions.

Within different political systems.

In different languages.

But it was created by people who shared the same desire — to become stronger, to improve themselves, and to build a sport.

Therefore, socialist bodybuilding is not a forgotten footnote in the history of world sport.

It is a part of world bodybuilding history that finally deserves to be told.