The National Amateur Body-Builders' Association, more commonly referred to as NABBA, was founded in 1950 by the Health & Strength League to promote

bodybuilding Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...

. Although the original intention was to promote physique contests in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, the popularity of the Mr Universe contest, and later Ms Universe contest, drew interest from competitors around the world. Today NABBA International maintains affiliations with around 60 countries.

History

The history of NABBA as an organisation can be traced back to 1898 when an American entrepreneur,

Bernarr Macfadden Bernarr Macfadden (born Bernard Adolphus McFadden, August 16, 1868 – October 12, 1955) was an American proponent of physical culture, a combination of bodybuilding with nutritional and health theories. He founded the long-running magazine pu ...

, and an English cycling enthusiast, Hopton Hadley, teamed up to promote what would become the earliest

physical culture Physical culture, also known as Body culture, is a health and strength training movement that originated during the 19th century in Germany, the UK and the US. Origins The physical culture movement in the United States during the 19th century ...

magazine. The original title of the magazine is debatable, however in 1898 Macfadden sold his share to Hadley and it quickly became known as Health & Strength magazine. Health & Strength Magazine served as the official magazine of NABBA for many years before being sold. The current Health & Strength publication utilises the name but bears little resemblance to the original magazine. In 1906 the Health & Strength League was formed to promote physical culture and within a few years it boasted thousands of members across the United Kingdom. By the 1920s the Health & Strength League had begun organising physique contests, which were a precursor to modern bodybuilding contests. In 1930 the Health & Strength League hosted the Mr. Britain contest with William T Coggins as the inaugural winner. Since the mid-1950s the Mr. Britain contest has been promoted by the NABBA UK. In 1948 following the first Mr. Universe contest, won by

John Grimek John Carroll Grimek (June 17, 1910 – November 20, 1998) was an American bodybuilder and weightlifter active in the 1930s and 1940s. He was Mr. America in 1940 and 1941, and Mr. Universe in 1948. Throughout his career he carried the nicknam ...

, the Health & Strength League made plans for form a separate governing association dedicated to bodybuilding. In late 1949 these plans would come to fruition and when the Mr. Universe contest was next held in 1950 it would be the NABBA Mr. Universe contest. In 1955

Oscar Heidenstam Oscar Frederick Heidenstam (27 February 191121 March 1991) was a Cyprus-born British bodybuilding champion and physical culturist.

, a former Mr. Britain winner and Mr. Universe competitor and a long-standing member of the Health & Strength League, became the General Secretary of NABBA and continued in this position for many years. As competitors from outside of the UK wanted to compete in the Mr. Universe contest, other countries affiliated and over time NABBA International was formed as the world governing organisation. The World Amateur Bodybuilding Association was directly affiliated with NABBA between 1977 and 1983, part of the reason for the formation of NABBA International as an independent body in 1984.

Oscar Heidenstam Oscar Frederick Heidenstam (27 February 191121 March 1991) was a Cyprus-born British bodybuilding champion and physical culturist.

was elected Chairman of NABBA UK in 1980 and subsequently became president of NABBA International upon its formation. Following Heidenstam's death in 1991, NABBA International was separated into Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere jurisdictions however it was soon reunited as a single world body with Ivan Dunbar of NABBA Northern Ireland as the International World President. When Dunbar died in 2009,

Graeme Lancefield Graeme Lancefield is a retired Australian bodybuilder best known for winning the 1991 NABBA Masters Mr Universe and the 1978 Mr Australia The Mr. Australia contest, now known as the Australian Championships, is a bodybuilding contest for m ...

, President of NABBA Australia, was elected as the NABBA International World President until 2017. In 2017, Eddy Ellwood was elected President of NABBA International with former chair and Honorary Life Councillor, Bryan Robinson, as the vice president of NABBA International. The NABBA UK Council continues to govern bodybuilding within the UK and also promotes the

Universe Championships The Universe Championships are annual worldwide bodybuilding events organised by the National Amateur Body-Builders' Association (NABBA). Originally promoted as the contest, the event was expanded to include women's classes in 1968. Notable prev ...

each year in England. Jim Charles was elected Chair of the NABBA UK Council in 2014 and remains in this position as of 2019. Dozens of countries are affiliated to NABBA International including Australia, Austria, Brazil, the Republic of Ireland, USA, Germany, Italy, Ukraine, Korea, China, Israel, New Zealand, Iran, Lebanon, Greece, Cyprus and Canada. The name NABBA by itself however usually refers to the NABBA UK.

Competitions

Each country affiliated with NABBA International holds an annual National Championships, usually prior to the World Championships or

. In most cases these events are a qualifier for athletes seeking to travel internationally to compete. Significant contests include: * NABBA Universe *NABBA World Championships *Mr. Britain *

NABBA Mr. Wales NABBA may refer to: * National Amateur Body-Builders' Association The National Amateur Body-Builders' Association, more commonly referred to as NABBA, was founded in 1950 by the Health & Strength League to promote bodybuilding. Although the o ...

* NABBA Mr. England *

NABBA Mr. Scotland NABBA may refer to: * National Amateur Body-Builders' Association The National Amateur Body-Builders' Association, more commonly referred to as NABBA, was founded in 1950 by the Health & Strength League to promote bodybuilding. Although the o ...

NABBA Mr. Ireland NABBA may refer to: * National Amateur Body-Builders' Association * North American Brass Band Association {{disambiguation ...

* Mr. Australia

References

{{Reflist

External links

NABBA InternationalNABBA
(UK)
NABBA SlovakiaNABBA FranceNABBA USANABBA CANADANABBA AustraliaNABBA GermanyNABBA ItaliaNABBA AustriaNABBA UkraineNABBA BrazilNABBA IsraelNABBA Korea
Bodybuilding organizations Sports organizations established in 1950 1950 establishments in the United Kingdom Amateur sport in the United Kingdom Bodybuilding in the United Kingdom

History

Competitions

See also

References

External links