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Weightlifting dates back to 3000 BC in a Chinese text that describes soldiers lifting weighted objects before entry into the military. The tombs of Pharaohs describe athletes lifting bags of sand.
Sculptures from ancient Greece illustrate weight lifting. A stone was found at Olympia dating back to 600 BC. The stone stated that it was lifted by an athlete named Bybon.
The first world weightlifting championship was held on March 28, 1891 in London, England. This event consisted of seven athletes from six countries. Levi Laurens, an Englishman, won the first gold medal of world championship.
Weightlifting was added to the Olympics in 1896 in Athens, Greece. The first weightlifting competition consisted of two events, the one hand lift and the two hand lift. Launceston Elliott of Great Britain took the Gold in the one hand lift while Viggo Jensen of Denmark took the Gold in the two hand lift. |
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Bodybuilding involves exercising, usually using weights, to build larger muscles. In one form or another, bodybuilding has been around for thousands of years. Thousands of years ago, the ancient Greeks and Romans trained their bodies to achieve a certain musculature.
Modern bodybuilding came about much more recently. The first major physique competition, "The Great Competition," was held in London in 1901. It was sponsored by Eugene Sandow, a strongam and gym owner who is sometimes considered "The Father of Modern Bodybuilding." The Mr. Universe competition started in London in 1950 and became the permier amateur bodybuilding competition. The Mr. Olympia competition, now the premier professional bodybuilding competition, was started by Joe Weider in 1965.
Professional bodybuilding is regulated by the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB), which was founded in 1946 by Ben Weider. Today bodybuilding has become a worldwide phenomenon, the IFBB now has affiliate federations in 173 countries and is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). |
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