Universe Championships facts for kids

The Universe Championships are big yearly events where people from all over the world compete in bodybuilding. These exciting contests are put on by a group called the British National Amateur Body-Builders' Association (NABBA).

The competition first started as the Mr. Universe contest. Later, in 1968, women's categories were added. Some very famous winners include Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was a bodybuilder, actor, and even a governor, and Steve Reeves, who was also a bodybuilder and actor.

What Are the Different Competitions?

The Universe Championships have many different groups, or "classes," for competitors. This makes sure that people compete against others who are similar in age or experience.

History of the Universe Championships

John Grimek, the first Mr. Universe, posing for a magazine.

The first Mr. Universe contest happened in 1948 in London, England. It was organized by David Johnston, who was the editor of a magazine called Strength and Health. The event was held at the same time as the Olympic Games and got a lot of attention. Many people came to the Scala Theatre to watch.

The very first winner was John Grimek. Steve Reeves came in second place. After the contest, Steve Reeves famously said that he thought John Grimek was "the greatest bodybuilder who ever lived!"

There was no contest in 1949. But behind the scenes, people from the Strength and Health group were busy forming a new organization. This new group was called the National Amateur Body-Builders' Association, or NABBA.

NABBA announced that they would host the Mr. Universe contest again in 1950. Steve Reeves returned to England and won the championship that year. Even though Steve Reeves was the first NABBA Mr. Universe, the image used for the NABBA logo is actually John Grimek. His picture is still the symbol for the association today.

In 1955, Oscar Heidenstam became the NABBA Secretary. He had been a very successful competitor himself. He quickly became a main leader for NABBA and the Mr. Universe contest. Around this time, smaller bodybuilding shows were also started across the UK to get more people involved.

A big moment happened in 1957 when Arthur Robin, a bodybuilder from Guadeloupe and France, became the first Black man to win the Mr. Universe title.

Many famous bodybuilders helped the Mr. Universe contest become popular in its early years. These included John Grimek, Steve Reeves, Reg Park, and Bill Pearl. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Mr. Universe contest became a starting point for many other well-known bodybuilders. These included Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, and Serge Nubret. These champions not only competed but also encouraged others in America and Europe to support the Universe Championships. Their stories still inspire many young bodybuilders today.

At first, the contest was only for amateur male bodybuilders. An "amateur" is someone who has not competed for or accepted prize money in a professional event. In 1952, a professional class was added. Today, NABBA International, which is the worldwide group in charge, gives "Pro Cards" to the winners of the four male height classes at the Universe Championships and the NABBA World Championships.

From 2011 to 2013, there was no professional Mr. Universe class because fewer people were interested. However, in 2013, Lee Priest returned to competition after seven years and won the amateur title. After his win, the NABBA International Council decided to bring back the professional division in 2014. The first professional contest was the 2014 NABBA World Championships in Northern Ireland. In 2014, Dave Titterton won the Professional Mr. Universe title in England.

Women's bodybuilding classes were added in 1968. They were first called Ms Physique. In 1986, they were split into Ms Physique and Ms Figure. The Ms Physique class was stopped at the Universe Championships in 2010. However, there are now Miss Trained, Athletic, and Toned Figure classes for women.

In 1985, a Junior Mr. Universe class was created for men under 21 years old. This class was paused between 1990 and 1999 but came back in 2000.

In 1991, a Masters Over 40 class was introduced for older competitors. The first winner was Graeme Lancefield from Australia. In 2002, a Masters Over 50 class was added. Ian Lawrence from Scotland, who had competed in Mr. Universe many times, won this new award.

The NABBA Universe Championships are currently run by NABBA UK and its chairman, Jim Charles.

It's important not to confuse the NABBA Mr. Universe with other bodybuilding contests. For example, the IFBB used to organize a competition called IFBB Mr. Universe. However, its name was changed to the World Amateur Bodybuilding Championships in 1976. Also, Mr. Universe is different from Mr. Olympia, which started in 1965.

How Bodybuilders Are Judged

Bodybuilders are judged on several things. Judges look at how balanced their bodies are (symmetry). They also check the proportions of their muscles and how big and clear each muscle group is. Most of the judging happens during the day in a session called "pre-judging." The final decisions are then announced during the evening show.

Winners of the Universe Championships

Year	Mr. Universe (Professionals)	Mr. Universe (Amateur)	Miss Universe (Bikini)	Miss Physique	Miss Trained Figure	Miss Toned Figure	Miss Athletic Figure
1948		John Grimek
1950		Steve Reeves
1951		Reg Park Monotosh Roy
1952	Juan Ferrero	Mohamed Nasr Manohar Aich
1953	Arnold Dyson	Bill Pearl
1954	Jim Park	Enrico Thomas
1955	Leo Robert	Mickey Hargitay
1956	Jack Delinger	Ray Schaeffer
1957	Arthur Robin	John Lees
1958	Reg Park	Earl Clark
1959	Bruce Randall	Len Sell
1960	Chuck Sipes	Henry downs
1961	Bill Pearl	Ray Routledge
1962	Len Sell	Joe Abbenda
1963	Joe Abbenda	Tom Sansome
1964	Earl Maynard	John Hewlett
1965	Reg Park	Elmo Santiago
1966	Paul Wynter	Chester Yorton			Elizabeth Lamb
1967	Bill Pearl	Arnold Schwarzenegger			Kathleen Winstanley
1968	Arnold Schwarzenegger	Dennis Tinerino			Silvia Hibbert
1969	Arnold Schwarzenegger	Boyer Coe			Jean Galston
1970	Arnold Schwarzenegger	Frank Zane			Christine Zane
1971	Bill Pearl	Ken Waller			Linda Thomas
1972	Frank Zane	Elias Petsas			Christine Charles
1973	Boyer Coe	Chris Dickerson			Jean Galston
1974	Chris Dickerson	Roy Duval			Linda Cheesman
1975	Steve Michalik	Ian Lawrence			Linda Cheesman
1976	Serge Nubret	Shigeru Sugita			Cindy Breakspear
1977	Tony Emmot	Bertil Fox			Bridget Gibbons
1978	Mike Mentzer	Dave Johns			Sandra Kong
1979	Bertil Fox	Ahmet Enünlü			Karen Griffiths
1980	Tony Pearson	Bill Richardson			Erika Mes
1981	Robby Robinson	John Brown			Jocelyn Pigeonneau
1982	Edward Kawak	John Brown			Jocelyn Pigeonneau
1983	Edward Kawak	Jeff King			Mary Scott
1984	Edward Kawak	Brian Buchanan			Mary Scott
1985	Edward Kawak	Tim Belknap			Jocelyn Pigeonneau
1986	Lance Dreher	Charles Clairmonte		Monika Steiner	Heidi Thomas
1987	Olev Annus	Basil Francis		Connie McClosky	Sonia Walker
1988	Charles Clairmonte	Victor Terra		Lisa Campbell	Sarah Staunton
1989	Charles Clairmonte	Matt Dufresne		Tatjana Scholl	Tracey Citrone
1990	Charles Clairmonte	Peter Reid		Monika Debatin	Browny OBrien
1991	Victor Terra	Reiner Gorbracht		Ute Geisel	Helen Maderson
1992	Peter Reid	Mustafa Mohammad		Bernadette Price	Anita Lawrence
1993	Edward Kawak	Dennis Francis		Deborah Compton	Ali Slater
1994	John Terilli	Nick van Beeck		Andrea Izard	Susana Perez
1995	Brian Buchanan	Grant Clemesha		Cathy Butler	Susana Perez
1996	Shaun Davis	Jenő Kiss		Billie Kaine	Pina Theodoridis
1997	Eddy Ellwood	Grant Thomas		Patricia Veldmann	Jasraj Bhadana Gujjar
1998	Eddy Ellwood	Gary Lister		Julia Abel	Pina Theodoridis
1999	Eddy Ellwood	Franco Malè		Taylor Young	Giovanna Rosa
2000	Eddy Ellwood	Sergei Ogorodnikov		Olga Tikhonova	Giovanna Rosa
2001	Eddy Ellwood	Steffen Müller		Anja Timmer	Giovanna Rosa
2002	Gary Lister	Costantino Galeazzo		Claudia Bianchi	Giovanna Rosa
2003	Gary Lister	Hassan Al Saka		Olga Tikhonova	Cherie Loomes
2004	Hassan Al Saka	Steve Sinton		Sandra Waterschoot	Lorena Bucci
2005	Sergei Ogorodnikov	Charles Mario		Desiree Dumpel	Andrea Carvalho
2006	Steve Sinton	Tomáš Bureš		Olga Tikhonova	Silvia Finocchi Ferreira
2007	Orazio Salvatori	Orazio Salvatori		Alina Popa	Andrea Carvalho
2008	Alessandro Savi	Lionel Beyeke		Vivian Hylkema	Maria Stukova
2009	Alexey Netesanov	Martin Kasal		Larissa Cunha	Dora Rodrigues
2010	Charles Mario	Miha Zupan		Valentyna Yefyemchuk	Flora Conte
2011		Paulo Lima Santos			Maria Kuzmina	Maria Tereza Mendonca Pintya
2012	Sangram Chougule	Andy Polhill			Maria Kuzmina	Nicola Bentham
2013	Lepomir Bakić	Lee Priest			Flora Conte	Nicola Bentham
2014	Dave Titterton	Barny Du Plessis			Dora Rodrigues	Charlotte MacGill
2015	Tony Mount	Paul Stewart			Daria Diossi	Alex Larkin
2016	Tony Mount	Fabian Mayr			Emma Gormley	Amy Wilson
2017	Shaun Joseph-Tavernier	Lee Seung Chul			Gemma Lancaster	Natasha Novak	Lee Tae Hee
2018	Lee Seung Chul	Loughlin Gannon			Jekaterina Übelacker	Natalia Jaremko	Christine Scerri
2019	Josh Maley	Jack Brooker			Ilaria Armeni	Gabriela Dezan	Ana Carla Ceron
2020	These editions of the competition were not held due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021
2022	Petr Kovář	Daniel Glamm			Emma Thackray	Lisa Capper	Tracy Hutchinson
2023	Petr Kovář	Klaus Drescher			Elodie Moore	Kelsey Yung	Aurélie Moreau
2024			Ashleigh Sives Jackson

See also

In Spanish: NABBA Mr. Universo para niños