Bodybuilding was introduced in Singapore in the early 40's when the British Army was stationed in the colony.Many young men who worked at the BOD (British Ordinance Department)exercised weight-training for strength conditioning and to build a better physique. Bodybuilding was "unknown" to many Singaporeans during that era because they had no knowledge of the sport, and it was considered as a privilege activity for a few serving in the British Army.
The first bodybuilding club is believed to be Strength & Health Club which was founded in the early forties. This club played a major role in producing the country's bodybuilders, boxers and weightlifters.
In the early 50's bodybuilding contests were organised in Malaya (Singapore was part of Malaya at the time) and a number of contests were organised in Singapore, Perak, Penang, Malacca and Selangor. It was more of a friendly contest organised annually on a rotation basis, and in 1955 the first Mr.Malaya contest was held in Kuala Lumpur.
Bodybuilding was under the clutch of the Singapore Weightlifting Federation during that period and the sports was practically suppressed and treated as a "stepchild" by the Weightlifting officials. Bodybuilders could not participate in international competitions and funds raised through bodybuilding contests were allocated for Weightlifters by the SAWLF. Chandran (fondly known as S.K.R), who was Singapore's Iron-Man in the Fifties,recalls: "We provided the glamour for weightlifting competitions. Yet we had to wait till after midnight for our contests".However, the sport grew by leaps and bounds, and many young men attracted to bodybuilding.
Bodybuilding clubs and associations mushroomed in Singapore in the late fiftes, and some of the prominents clubs were:
Young Men's Bodybuilding Association
Everbright Bodybuilding Association
Catholic Young Men's Association (CYMA Bodybuilding Club)
Strength & Health Club
PSA Bodybuilding Club
Evergreen Weightlifting & Bodybuilding Assn.
Bukit Panjang Bodybuilding Assn.
Peter's Gym
Selegie Bodybuilding Club
Pearl's Hill Youth Club
T.A (Tamil's Association)
Physical Dept.of the University of Singapore
Vigilante Corps Sports Association
Singapore Fire Brigade Sports Club
Prison's Officers Club
Bodybuilding was under the clutch of the Singapore Weightlifting Federation during that period and the sports was practically suppressed and treated as a "stepchild" by the Weightlifting officials. Bodybuilders could not participate in international competitions and funds raised through bodybuilding contests were allocated for Weightlifters by the SAWLF. Chandran (fondly known as S.K.R), who was Singapore's Iron-Man in the Fifties,recalls: "We provided the glamour for weightlifting competitions. Yet we had to wait till after midnight for our contests".However, the sport grew by leaps and bounds, and many young men attracted to bodybuilding.
During that period, weight-training gyms in Singapore were pathetic advertisements for bodybuilding;many were outdoors,in the backyards of dismal, dishevelled buildings, or in leaky zinc-roofed sheds in festering kampongs; and competitions were held in halls lit by gas lights, with milk boxes for rostrums.
Several crude gyms spring to mind:Evergreen Weightlifting & Bodybuilding Association in Sophia Road, Everbright Bodybuilding Association in Princep Street, Young Men's Bodubuilding Association in Henderson Road and strength & Health Club in Onan Road.
However, Peter's Gym in Owen Road and the Selegie Bodybuilding Club would have shocked today's molly coddled, brand-conscious teenager. Peter's Gym was situated in an alley, fighting desperately for space with foods stalls. Small wonder that most of the bodybuilders in Peter's were loyal clients of the porridge stall. The Selegie Bodybuilding Club was located behind a motor garage - which meant that the path to a workout was always grimy and greasy.
Bodybuilding - like other sports, underwent a dramatic change. The zinc sheds gave way to spacious symbols of opulence; rust-coated weights, crude benches, plumbing pipes, train wheels, bricks and cement weights were replaced by gleaming,stainless steel, hi-tech, multi-purpose machines; and ridicule by respect.
Today,the BODYBUILDER is recognised as a serious, dedicated athlete. He's in full control of his destiny; nothing is left to chance. His training programme is designed with a specific symmetry in mind, as would a painter who fills his mind with the splendour of the scene before reproducing it on canvas. And unlike his predecessor, the regimen of today's bodybuilder is supported by a full range of food supplements. For him a sport has become a way of life.
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