The recent successful Diamond Cup Kiev gave us important memories about how was the Bodybuilding, in the ’70s and early ’80s, at the SSSR; where most of the pioneers are still on duty, working for our sport and IFBB.
The picture shows an invaluable document, about one Bodybuilding contest (male and female) held in Leningrad (Russia), where we can see IFBB founder, Mr. Ben Weider and his Executive Assistant -current President Dr. Rafael Santonja– joining athletes and young officials as Vladimir Dubinin (IFBB Patron and former president of Russian Federation), Eugene Koltun (IFBB International judge) or Andrei Dolgokir (former president of Ukrainian Federation).
At this former times, with the world of the sport still suffering the “Cold War”; the IFBB and Bodybuilding were a fantastic bridge to create friendship and trust between Occident and the European countries behind the “Iron Curtain”.