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THEY HAVE CREATED A FIRM BASE

By Arunas Petraitis,
General secretary LBFF,
Bodybuilding historian,
Editor www.bodybuild.ot.lt

    The movement of Lithuanian bodybuilders always had a firm basis, which wasn’t disbalanced even in a long years of prohibition. In 2005 this sport is celebraing it’s 40th anniversary in Lithuania.

FAITHFULNESS TO TRADITIONS

    “Lithuanians always were well-known as nation were vigorous people are prevalent and here almost 40 years (without any breaks) traditions of bodybuilding are alive. Alike Dutch of growing flowers” - Dr.Ramutis Kairaitis, the president of Lithuanian Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation, named the today’s roots of achievements of a small country.

    In Lithuania, where is the geographical center of the European continent (according to the most recent estimates, 25 km north of capital Vilnius) lives 3,8 millions inhabitants. 83 percents of them are Lithuanian.

    Nearly 500 thousand Lithuanians, who emigrated to other countries in post-war time now live abroad. Majority – in Great Britain and US. Here the modern Apollo of fifties was born. Alan Stephan, 1946 AAU “Mr.America” title winner, was no other than Albertas Steponaitis. Both his mother and father (with more than 50 cm arms resulting from farm toil in his native Lithuania and steel mill work in Indiana ) were born in Lithuania. They immigrated to USA when in their teens.

    Alan Stephan’s striking looks guaranteed for him one more top of publicity – he appears on a official Navy recruiting poster. In 1948 Lithuanian blond won the IFBB “Mr.America” (it was the 1949 contest honors). To this day, he remains the only man to have won both the AAU and IFBB versions of this contest.

    But earlier in 1928 something like bodybuilding competition took place in Lithuania. Contest was called “Competition of beautiful structure of the body”. It was held in July in Kaunas city park. Observers had to write estimations-points on the papers they were given to evaluate sportsmen. Vladas Labanauskas became the winner, he was Lithuanian military private from Siauliai.

THE COMPETITIONS

    On the 23rd of May 1965 close to Kaunas, during the student’s spring festival, the first contest was held. This date is recognized as official beginning of organized national bodybuilding.

    On the 29th of May 1966 in Vilnius the first official Lithuanian National Championship was organized.

    In december of 1971 in Kaunas Sports hall the latest official Lithuanian National Championship was held. It took another 15 years before another official Championship.

    In 1973 any kind of contests was prohibited by the Committee of physical culture and sports of the USSR. Despite this, not officially, the contests still kept going in Lithuania. Dr.Romanas Kalinauskas (1941 – 1998), the leading force in our country’s bodybuilding, was the main and one of the few who supported the sport during the Cold War era. In honor of this outstanding administrator, the LBBF have established the Dr.Romanas Kalinauskas Memorial Award, which is given each year to the Most Improved Bodybuilder in Lithuania.

    In 2005 LBFF organized the XXVth National Championship. As a part of Lithuanian Muscle Weekend International tournaments in Druskininkai (Mis ir Misteris Baltija) and Vilnius (Grand Prix Lithuania) took place also.

INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS

    The first international start of Lithuanian bodybuilders between polish club Herkules and Azuolas from Kaunas was arranged in Warsaw in 1968. The poles had an advantage in this match. And the winner was Wieslaw Szydlowski followed by his teammates. In April of the same year in Kaunas was held the first international (in all over the USSR) contest and Lithuanians had won return match persuasively.

    After a couple years in May of 1971, when the president of IFBB Ben Weider had arrived to Poland for the first time, Lithuanian delegation – Juozas Jusevicius, Vytautas Jankauskas and Romanas Kalinauskas – had met with him.

    In December of 1971 the first contacts with bodybuilders from the CSSR took place, when Marian Juras, Jaroslav Satina and Ladislav Klery under leadership of national trainer Alexander Bacinsky, competed in Lithuanian National open Championship held in Kaunas Sport hall. Contest was won by Vladimir Dubinin from Leningrad (now St.Petersburg), current Vice-president of European Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation, the head of Russian bodybuilders.

    Ben Weider visited Lithuania 20 years later, in spring of 1991. He had meetings with the president of re-created Lithuanian National Olympic Committee Arturas Poviliunas, a chairman of Supreme Council of Lithuanian Republic Vytautas Landsbergis.

    It was the first visit of International sport organization representative in Lithuania after the regaining independence. IFBB directed by Ben Weider first invited Lithuanian sportsmen on a official international stage. The debut took place in the 1991 men’s World Championship in Katowice, Poland.

LITHUANIAN GALLERY OF FAME

Ms.Olympia top-placement

    Natalija Murnikoviene twice 3rd (1995, 1996)

World champions

    Natalija Murnikoviene (1994)
    Natalija Murnikoviene & Ricardas Murnikovas (1994)
    Inga Neverauskaite (2003 and overall)
    Olegas Zuras (2004 and overall)

European champions

    Natalija Murnikoviene (1993)
    Olegas Zuras (1993)
    Rolandas Bucinskas (1996)
    Rolandas Pocius (2001)
    Inga Neverauskaite (2003 and overall)
    Zivile Raudoniene (2003)

World Games champion

    Olegas Zuras (2001)

World Masters champion

    Semion Berkovic (2003)

On March 30, 1991 historical meeting of (from L to R) former president of Lithuanian Bodybuilding Federation Romanas Kalinauskas, chairman of Lithuanian Parliament Vytautas Landsbergis, IFBB president Ben Weider, vice-president of Lithuanian NOC Kazimieras Motieka and president of Lithuanian NOC Arturas Poviliunas took place in Vilnius.

LBBF president Ramutis Kairaitis (L) is a recipient of the IFBB Gold Medal for his contribution to Lithuanian bodybuilding. In 1999 he was awarded by IFBB president Ben Weider.

World and European champion, twice third in Ms.Olympia Natalija Murnikoviene is the brightest personality of Lithuanian bodybuilding.