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Here is yet another article portraying the controversies of the early game. I always enjoy reading these as we have the advantage of knowing how the politics of the game played out and who was the eventual winner in these disputes.
Muscle Builder, November 1965
Mr Bob Hoffman
P.O. Box ----
York, Penn, USA
Dear Bob,
On behalf of the FIHC I must register a protest against the article "The Pageant of Mr. Universe Winners" published in the June 1965 edition of your magazine "Muscular Development." This article creates the impression that the NABBA "Mr. Universe" contest is officially recognised. You know very well from the warnings that I have repeatedly published in my FIHC bulletins and in the AAU official journal "Amateur Athlete," that the NABBA contests are not recognised either by the AAU or by the FIHC. You are also aware of the fact that John Terpak was reprimanded by the AAU for attending the NABBA "Mr. Universe" contest as an official.
Our member federations are not allowed to compete in unsanctioned contests such as the NABBA "Mr. Universe" and the IFBB "Mr. Universe." After I had written to Mr. Weider, he publicly proclaimed that the IFBB contests were not amateur and those who competed in them risked being suspended and losing their amateur status. This unequivocal statement made the IFBB situation quite clear to intending competitors and the FIHC does not have to concern itself with their professional contests.
But the NABBA organisers continue to organise a so-called "amateur" contest those winners you have portrayed in the article to which I object. Yet every competitor in the NABBA contests who belongs to any of our federations has been suspended. You make no mention of the fact that every American bodybuilder who has competed in the NABBA contest has been suspended by the AAU. I think that in fairness to your American bodybuilders and to the FIHC you should make these facts known.
Your continued support of this contest is an embarrassment to the FIHC because you are a member of our Physical Culture Committee. As such you should support only the official contests which are conducted under our control. Thus, instead of publishing the NABBA winners, I think you ought to publicize our winners such as the great American Tommy Kono who won the FIHC "Mr. Universe" title four times. Here for the record is the list of winners of our official contests which are still conducted under the sub-title of "Mr. Universe."
1950 Paris John Farbotnik U.S.A.
1954 Roubaix Tommy Kono U.S.A.
1955 Munich Tommy Kono U.S.A.
1957 Teheran Tommy Kono U.S.A.
1959 Warsaw Guy Mierczuk France
1961 Vienna Tommy Kono U.S.A.
1963 London A. El-Guindi U.A.R.
1964 Paris A. El-Guindi U.A.R.
Yours sincerely,
Oscar State (signed),
General Secretary FIHC
Muscle Builder, November 1965
Mr Bob Hoffman
P.O. Box ----
York, Penn, USA
Dear Bob,
On behalf of the FIHC I must register a protest against the article "The Pageant of Mr. Universe Winners" published in the June 1965 edition of your magazine "Muscular Development." This article creates the impression that the NABBA "Mr. Universe" contest is officially recognised. You know very well from the warnings that I have repeatedly published in my FIHC bulletins and in the AAU official journal "Amateur Athlete," that the NABBA contests are not recognised either by the AAU or by the FIHC. You are also aware of the fact that John Terpak was reprimanded by the AAU for attending the NABBA "Mr. Universe" contest as an official.
Our member federations are not allowed to compete in unsanctioned contests such as the NABBA "Mr. Universe" and the IFBB "Mr. Universe." After I had written to Mr. Weider, he publicly proclaimed that the IFBB contests were not amateur and those who competed in them risked being suspended and losing their amateur status. This unequivocal statement made the IFBB situation quite clear to intending competitors and the FIHC does not have to concern itself with their professional contests.
But the NABBA organisers continue to organise a so-called "amateur" contest those winners you have portrayed in the article to which I object. Yet every competitor in the NABBA contests who belongs to any of our federations has been suspended. You make no mention of the fact that every American bodybuilder who has competed in the NABBA contest has been suspended by the AAU. I think that in fairness to your American bodybuilders and to the FIHC you should make these facts known.
Your continued support of this contest is an embarrassment to the FIHC because you are a member of our Physical Culture Committee. As such you should support only the official contests which are conducted under our control. Thus, instead of publishing the NABBA winners, I think you ought to publicize our winners such as the great American Tommy Kono who won the FIHC "Mr. Universe" title four times. Here for the record is the list of winners of our official contests which are still conducted under the sub-title of "Mr. Universe."
1950 Paris John Farbotnik U.S.A.
1954 Roubaix Tommy Kono U.S.A.
1955 Munich Tommy Kono U.S.A.
1957 Teheran Tommy Kono U.S.A.
1959 Warsaw Guy Mierczuk France
1961 Vienna Tommy Kono U.S.A.
1963 London A. El-Guindi U.A.R.
1964 Paris A. El-Guindi U.A.R.
Yours sincerely,
Oscar State (signed),
General Secretary FIHC