Muscle Builder, Vol 13, Num 3, Page 24, April 1972

THRILL-BY-THRILL REPORT OF THE SENSATIONAL 1971 IFBB MR. UNIVERSE - MR. OLYMPIA CONTEST!

1971 IFBB MR. UNIVERSE & MR. OLYMPIA CONTESTS

by BOB HISE, IFBB Observer, A.A.U. Delegate and F.H.I. Alternate.

Standing under the Arc de Triomphe, the most venerated shrine in the whole of France, I thrilled to a lovely Parisian sunset. I closed my eyes and contemplated all that had happened here at the focal point of the capital city of western Civilization for 2500 years. I saw the fierce armies of Caesar, Napoleon, the Kaiser, Czar Peter, and Eisenhower enter the Champs Elysées and wage furious struggles against powerful foes. Some to leave victorious, other conqured. Paris appeared such a likely choice to host the greats of might and valor whenever they chose to do battle. Tomorrow another awesome struggle between giants would start - the 1971 IFBB Mr. Universe Contest.

SURPRISE DISQUALIFICATIONS STARTLE THREE ENTRANTS

At two in the afternoon on September 24 it began with pre-judging, a somber time not at all like the festivities of the formal contest a day later. Pre-judging was particularly disheartening for Sergio Oliva and Roy Callender. They were disqualified for entering unsanctioned meets and not allowed to compete. Francisco Columbu was disqualified for entering a professional contest. This was the first-ever time the IFBB barred contestants from any of its events. The step was necessary to prove the IFBB would enforce its Constitution and give it parity with other official international athletic organizations. "If bodybuilding is to become an Olympic Games event it must have an amateur division and it must have rules and regulations specifying who is eligible or not to compete in amateur and professional categories," insisted IFBB President Ben Weider in the keynote speech opening the contest. Ben told how the IFBB is gunning for representation in the 1976 Olympics and that favorable progress is being made.

Amidst a big cheer for this heartening news the curtain flew open to reveal all 54 Mr. Universe contestants from 37 countries. The cheers turned into astonished raves, the 21-piece orchestra pranced through the Marseillaise, filling each inch of the majestic and centuries-old Palais de la Mutualité with sound, and the greatest of all IFBB extravaganzas began.

Results: Tall Man's Class (Over 5'8") 1 Karl Bloemer Germany 2 Helmut Riedmeier Germany 3 Mike Katz USA 4 Francois Labrador France 5 Vic Downs Canada Judges Alex Carali Canada Stan Zakrzewski Poland Hostifa Hifzi Egypt John Citrone UK Joe Miech Malta Gustafo Buesa Spain Milan Cabric Yugoslavia Results: Medium Height Class (5'6" to 5'8") 1 Albert Beckles England 2 Ahmet Enünlü Turkey 3 Ed Corney USA 4 Abbas Al Hindawi Iraq 5 Serge Jacobs Belgium Judges K. Kronides Cyprus M. Kaissi Lebanon Bob Hise USA Wag Bennett England Vojtec Fila Czech. Bobby Yeo Singapore Ysar Talbassar Turkey Results: Short Man's Class (Under 5'6") 1 Giuseppe Deinna Netherlands 2 Renato Bertagana Italy 3 Hubert Plummans Belgium 4 Taleb Shehab Iraq 5 Tony Lamouche France Judges Awanis Yessian Iraq Kees Van Velden Neth. Monotosh Roy India Pierre Le Long France Jose Mujich Italy Julian Blommart Belgium Mr. Universe Final Round 1 Albert Beckles 2 Karl Bloemer 3 Giuseppe Deinna 4 Ahmet Enünlü Judges For Final Round M. Abu Bakar Malysia Vojtec Fila Czech. K Van Velden Neth. J. Blommart Belgium Awanis Yessian Iraq Mastifa Hefzi Egypt Bob Hise USA Team Standings 1 Germany 12 points 2 USA 8 points 3 England 7 points Holland 7 points

First to hit the lights was Taleb Shehad, from Iraq, the first time his country ever competed in a broad-based global competition. He received an incredible ovation as the audience finally realized the import of this historic moment -- the world-famous Mr. Universe contest had found a new home in a city which so richly deserved it.

One by one the remaining 53 entrants representing 37 nations came out to display their incredible physiques. And there was no doubt that the level of competition this year exceeded any previous contest by far. Place winners of competitions in Brooklyn would have gotten dressed at pre-judging once they saw this crowd. 18-inch arms were mandatory and after a while even 19- and 20-inchers looked commonplace. Each contestant was lustily cheered not only by his followers but by all of the 3,000 fans lucky enough to obtain the 100-franc tickets to gain admittance. Scalpers were selling stubs at double that during intermission.

By posing's end the crowd was hoarse from roaring but their shouts never abated. Audience reaction to individual entrants roughly agreed with the prejudging done previously at the Moderne Palace Ballroom. They went wild over Giuseppe Deinna, an Italian-born Dutchman, 5'4", 180 pounds of granite-like seething muscle in the Short Men's Class. Renato Bertagna of Italy also impressed, shortest man in the meet, he looked like Sergio Oliva flattened by a sledgehammer. Hubert Plumans of Belgium and Tony Lamouche from France scored heavily via their incredible posing routines which had American and Canadian entrants delirious with amazement.

In the Middle Height Class several great stars Americans have never seen appeared. Albert Beckles of England got the biggest hand of the night and appeared headed to victory. The outstanding Serge Jacobs (Belgium) followed, which raised spectator reaction to fever pitch. Then Ed Corney of America, a dark horse you'll be hearing a lot more of, leaped on the podium to give the show of his life. The last poser, another newcomer, Ahmet Enünlü of Turkey, closed out Class II with a rousing routine that had the fans standing in the aisles and applauding insanely.

Then it was time for the big boys, the monstermen which the crowd had heard about for years, and was dying to see. When Mike Katz, 1970 IFBB Mr. America trundled out to pose, pandemonium broke loose. The seats were a sea of loose flashbulbs, mademoiselles shrilled with delight, and the European judges, many of whom seem to favor slender physiques flinched. If the audience were judging, Mike would have been right up there. He was called back for an encore and finished with a most muscular pose that had the weakhearted fainting from sheer excitement. Suddenly Vic Downs came out. Not much smaller than Mike, the cut-up Ontarion brought renewed life to an already dazed audience. Also popular were two giant Germans, Helmut Riedmeier and Karl Bloemer. Both had big generous bodies on the Dave Draper style but neither had the size of mighty Mike.

"NEW" SUPERSTAR APPEARS

So that was it. The judges chaperoned by Lud Shusterich and Dennis Stallard retired to an unspecified site to sort out the final placings. In the meantime a blockbuster series of special exhibitions had been promised and we all sat tense wondering what was to come.

Since only a portion of the audience understood the French-speaking emcee, a great buzz of astonishment rose as a new superstar shaped up in the wings. He strode to the podium as audience hysteria made it impossible for anyone to hear his name announced. In fifty languages, only one thought was expressed: "Who is this fantastic bodybuilder?" He stood about 5'5", darkhued, with arms at least 20". And he whipped through difficult poses with the confidence and poise of a man who should be a Mr. Universe or a Mr. Olympia. The density of his back looked capable of shielding a battleship. Lats and shoulders seemed other-worldly and indeed many spectators thought they were hallucinating. As he left, half the crowd sat stupefied, stunned too deeply to applaud, the remainder went berserk with kudos and we all asked why wasn't this new face in the amateur Mr. Universe just presented. It wasn't until breathless moments later we realized he couldn't be. We were marvelling at a new supersaturated unrecognizable Francisco Colombu in exhibition. A sure winner had he competed, Colombu is no less than the third best built man alive. And the other two were about to appear.

OFFICER OLIVA MAKES AN UNEXPECTED APPEARANCE

Sergio Oliva, recently appointed to the Chicago police department, filed an application to enter the Mr. Olympia show in July. Naturally it was accepted, but when he made known his intentions to enter a non-sanctioned contest, his IFBB application was returned. Ben Weider pleaded with Sergio not to disqualify himself by entering this unsanctioned event. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger, begging for competition, told Sergio six weeks in advance that the IFBB would not let him in but Oliva, prodded by his patron, Arthur Jones of Florida, would not listen. He went to London and was refused at Paris. Heartbroken, Sergio did not realize the now-official status of the IFBB demanded it bar him. Oliva was very steamed up to appear before this muscle-hungry crowd in any capacity, however. He pleaded to go on as an exhibitor and after some deliberation the request was granted, only after sending a letter of apology to the IFBB Congress.

And what a performance he gave! No matter how often one sees Sergio the reaction must always be the same-absolute amazement. He tore the place apart. His magnetism and charisma even exceeds Arnold's. He makes fans on cue in the tradition of Grimek, Scott, and Reeves, for he is a physique buff's dream. He provides more than just an incredible body and posing display. He is an indescribable complete show in himself and awed the fans from start to finish.

Sergio was in as good shape as I've ever seen him. But he makes too many concessions to bulk-madness. Apparently he refuses to train properly because a lack of muscle-density holds him back from being totally unstoppable. Arnold and Colombu are definitely in his class. With greater density to complement his awesome size, shape, and proportion, Oliva would be peerless. If Sergio would hit California this summer and pick up some more tips from Joe Weider, who originally brought him to prominence, he might easily regain Mr. Olympia in 1972.

Only in the Mr. Olympia event did this fantastic night falter. Defending champ Arnold Schwarzenegger charged through his paces unopposed. Without Sergio or Colombu breathing down his broad back Arnold appeared relaxed. He was far superior to his 1970 shape to this viewer (meaning ultra-fantastic) and only direct comparisons with the others would have determined the best built man of all time. The fans wanted The Great Posedown III, but gladly settled for Arnold solo. Maybe next year.

"THE WINNER, MONSIEUR UNIVERSE FOR MCMLXXI IS . . ."

With a ton and a half of trophies dominating the foreground and nearly six tons of biceps, pecs and quads to the rear, the stage was set for an all-exciting awards ceremony. Mr. Universe 1971 was soon to be named. There were no surprises in the Small category. Deinna (Holland) the popular favorite won.

A big gasp came from the assembled multitudes when it was announced that Mike Katz did no better than third in the Tall Men's Class. This brought some boos from the seats which heartened Mike would could hardly believe the decision. However when Riedmeier and Bloemer were called to receive their Second and First Place trophies, respectively, the audience cheered enthusiastically, showing they couldn't have been at too much variance with the judges.

AUDIENCE REACTIONS RIGHTS IMPROPER PLACING

Any suppressed disapproval with the Katz placing came to life in the next announcement. It was the most vociferous display of anger I have ever seen from a physique audience. Albert Beckles was called for the No.2 award in the Middle Height Class and the jeers started immediately. When moments later Ahmet Enünlü was named the winner the jeers increased. But even the judges were surprised, as most thought Beckles won. Instead of using the pure point system, the Judges Committee decided to test a new method which called for 4 first places out of 7 which would automatically name the winner. When it became apparent that this method produced improper results, President Ben Weider called for an emergency judges' session which approved the use of the pure point system. Beckles joined Deinna and Bloemer in the final round and the fans gave Enünlü a great hand as he was allowed to enter too. The prompt action of the IFBB executive council and judging panel impressed everyone and the audience sat bolt upright as they knew the final decision would be both thrilling and fair.

To insure this, the judges were reshuffled and the finals group of judges included Major M. Abu Bakar (Malaysia); V. Fiala (Czechoslovakia); Kees Van Velden (Netherlands); Julian Blommaert (Belgium); Awanis Yessain (Iraq); Mastifa Hefzi (Egypt); and Bob Hise (U.S.A.). There were no judges from any finalist's country.

The four posed on the stage in front of the audience for all they were worth and anyone would have made a worthy winner. Unfortunately "many are called but few (one in this IFBB case) are chosen" and this time the judges were nearly unanimous in their deliberations. Enünlü was good but didn't quite cut the mustard and copped fourth. Deinna made a remarkable start in his first major international fete placing third. Bloemer, another novice to the big time, took the six-foot 2nd Place trophy back to his frauleins. And when all the shooting was over, the winner MONSIEUR UNIVERSE 1971 was the man who made it to the finals because of the fairness and flexibility of IFBB officialdom, the great Albert Beckles of England.

TEAM SCORES ARE KEPT FOR THE FIRST TIME, GERMANY WINS

In team standings Germany had the best overall score with 12 points, America second at 8 and England and Holland tied for third with 7 each. America's decline can be attributed to the stubbornness of Ken Waller and Frank Zane competing in the NABBA show and thereby disqualifying themselves from entering this event. These disbarments and Colombu's and Callender's are for one year each. We hope the Americans will obey the regulations to give us a better shot in 1972.

BON SOIR, MESSIEURSAND ON TO NEXT YEAR

Next year the Mr. Universe pageant moves 6000 miles east from Paris to Baghdad, one of the few cities to rival the French capital as historically and esthetically appropriate for a meeting of great physiques. Baghdad is several millenia older than Paris and archeologists call it the cradle of all civilization. We will be there to see what the emerging Third World nations of the East, Orient, and Africa have to throw at our Western heros. We suspect the traditional stars will hang on for a few more years but as IFBB-style bodybuilding prospers worldwide and as the great Mr. Universe contest, now wisely freed from its restrictive base in New York, travels to all five continents, I would not bet on North Americans and Europeans forever. The Paris show proved this: no country has a lock up on great physiques and all the world's greatest physiques belong (and hopefully will appear) at the spectacular Mr. Universe contests. bon soir Messieurs.

PHOTO CAPTIONS

- Members of the executive council present at the IFBB International Congress held in Paris at the famous Napoleon Hall are, left to right: Joe Weider (U.S.A.) Patron; Malih Alawayne (Lebanon) Vice-President for the Middle East; Ben Weider (Canada) International President; Serge Nubret (France) Vice-President for Europe; Alex Carali (Canada) General Secretary; M. Osman (Egypt) Vice-President for Asia. Armengol Abreu (Venezuela) not shown, was later elected Vice-President for Hispano America and later took his seat with the executive council.

- In the sumptuous setting of the famous Napoleon Hall where the decor dates from the Empire period, more than 200 officials attended the International Congress of the IFBB . . . a worthy place for such a historic day for bodybuilders.

- Partial view of the more than 200 IFBB officials who attended the congress.

- The fabulous Albert Beckles wins Mr. Universe 1971, Giuseppe Deinna of Holland (l.) the Short Class winner was third, and Tall Men's victor, Germany's Karl Bloemer took second.

- The champ and runners-up show their incredible muscle-dense backs to the knocked-out audience. Left to right: Deinna, Mr. U Beckles, Bloemer.

- It was an all-Europe finish and Joe Weider poses proudly with the new breed of Universe champs.

- First man to salute Beckles great victory was a tough man to beat, Karl Bloemer of Germany.

- Panoramic view of the full 54-man field. Sign in French shows that Perrier Spring Water helped underwrite part of the huge expenses.

- Deinna (r.) and Bertagna hit a few poses at the warmup.

- Bloemer is genuinely thrilled to win the tall class but a beefy Mike Katz looks disappointed. Reidmeier (r., 2nd) is please for his German countryman.

- The pressure shows on the men's faces at pre-judging. (L. to r.) Rudman (Sweden), Corney (USA), Jacobs (Belgium), Liesdesk (Neth.) Al Hindawi (Iraq), Beckles (U.K.), Jayed (Egypt), Marian (Czech).

- The same group from the Middle Height Class in another view. Lois (Spain) get into the picture at far right.

- Seconds after practice, Bertagana and Deinna go at it for real in front of the prejudgin panel.

- Four Giants of the show: Gallostra (Spain, 40), Downs (Canada, 41), Wickens (England, 42), and Bouzane (Syria).

- The three big winners are knotted by Joe Weider at the glorious finsih of this spectacular event.

- This group did very well at prejudging. Bloemer (56) and Reidmeier (57) finished 1-2 in the Tall division beating Zeid (Egypt, 55) and Goksen (Turkey, 58).

- Two entrants doing the curious warmup exercise called 'pulling the towel'. Puffed-up Mike Katz (45) watches.

- (16 pics on page 28) Albert Beckles (England), Hubert Plummans (Belgium), Taleb Shehab (Iraq), Janko Rudman (Sweden), Abbas Al Hindawi (Iraq), Rudi Liedsak (Holland), Ed Corney (USA), Dennis Wilkens (England), Vladmir Misko (Czech.), Mehamet Goksen (Turkey), Giusseppe Deinna (Neth.), Harold Benesfield (Malta), Jaime Gallostra (Spain), Roland Jaus (France), Karl Bloemer (Germany), Serge Jacobs (Belgium)

- (16 pics on page 29) Helmut Reidmeier (Germany), Renato Bertagana (Italy), Giusieppe Deinna (Neth.), Vic Downs (Canada), Bernard Bradford (England), Francois Labrador (France), Mike Katz (USA), Ahmet Enunlu (Turkey), Paul Pharad (Canada), Jose Vinas (Spain), M El Guindi (Egypt), Ali Al-Gayar (Iraq), Frederick Weimer (Germany), Ladislav Kleri (Czech.), Dracolive Sterorvic (Yugoslavia), Alan Ward (Sweden)

- (4 pics on page 30) Kerki (Lebanon), Galalel Sayed (Egypt), Rahmat Ben Turaimi (Singapore), Pierre Ravinan (St. Maurice)

- A dozen of the sexiest girls in France line up for the Miss Europe judging

- Members of the executive council who ruled on suspensions recommended by the judges committee are, from left to right: M. Osman (Egypt), Joe Weider (U.S.A.), standing C. Mohammed Amin (Pakistan). Suspended for having competed in a professional contest: Franco Colombu. Suspended for one year for competing in a non-sanctioned contest: Ken Waller (U.S.A.); Roy Callander (Barbados); Albert Beckles (England); Sergio Oliva (U.S.A.).

- Here he is - THE MIGHT COLOMBO. With his new super-duper physique he went unrecognized throughout most of his exhibition. But when the audience finally realized who he was they went wild with amazement.

- Arnold Schwarzenegger repeats as Mr. Olympia. This was the greatest of all his European performances.

- Who can possibly believe this physique? And the Mr. U crowd saw it in the flesh. Sergio Oliva is positively out of this world.

- Arnold counts his Mr. Olympia victory money to the last franc. Joe Weider watches amused as Sergio Oliva sneaks up to smell the bills. Maybe next year, Sergio.

Note there are many inconsistencies in this article. They first talk about three being disqualified: Oliva, Callender and Columbu, but near the end of the article they add Beckles to the list, even though he is the declared the winner of this IFBB Universe. In fact, Beckles was also in the NABBA Universe the week before, along with Callender (in the amateur) and Oliva (in the pro). So the reasons given for disqualifying Callender should have also disqualified Beckles. As far as Columbu, the reason given for his disqualification from the IFBB Universe is for competing in a pro contest. The only possibility that I find is the AAU Mr World. But Columbu lost that contest to Schwarzenegger. So why didn't Columbu simply compete against Arnold in the Olympia? Also, Columbu had already won the IFBB Universe the year before. Why would he enter it again? Could he enter it again? Finally, Wayne Gallasch attended and filmed this contest. He says that the 8mm film shows Arnold and Franco competing against each other in the Olympia. Why all the revisionists history is anyone's guess.

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