BHUBANESWAR 03-Dec-2007 115
If mass appeal and degree of excellence are considered parameters, bodybuilding will be as good as any other sport. But unfortunately, bodybuilding in India has made news mostly for wrong reasons. A close look at the issue points to fight for power as the main reason for the sorry state of the sport in the country.
An apt example was the 45th Junior National Bodybuilding Championship, which concluded at Nehru Park in Bhubaneswar on Sunday night. A day before the National event was to commence under the aegis of Orissa Amateur Body Builders Association (OABBA), it was declared illegal by Orissa Body Building Association (OBBA), which claimed itself as the original apex State body of the sport.
When asked about their affiliation to the apex National body, both the State units named ‘Indian Body Building Federation’. The difference between the warring State bodies indicated a split in the National body — one controlling from Delhi and another from Mumbai.
The matter is now sub judice. Despite the controversy, city witnessed a bodybuilding event. Mr Junior India titles were awarded in six weight classes, including Sekh Mustaq (Orissa, 55kg), Dinesh Kambli (Maharashtra, 60kg), Somnath Chatterjee (West Bengal, 65kg), Asim Saqlain (UP, 70kg) and Akash Dutta (Chandigarh, 75kg).
