Oscar State, OBE
OSCAR STATE, OBE
1911-1984
London, England
Oscar State was one of the most experienced administrators and officials in the history of sport. By instruction and example, he influenced thousands of people, both in and out of the world of bodybuilding.
Oscar officiated at 9 Olympic Games, 21 Regional meets such as the Pan-Am, Maccabiah, Asian and Commonwealth Games, 2 World Games, 24 World Weightlifting Championships, 27 World Bodybuilding Championships, 9 Mr. Olympias, 51 international bodybuilding contests and 101 international weightlifting contests. He competed as an athlete, and traveled over 3 million miles in the service of sport.
Oscar was a teacher by profession; a graduate of Goldsmiths College in London and Carnegie Physical Education College in Leeds. During World War II, he was a sports officer in the RAF and was responsible for the physical training of over 7,000 airmen. After the war, he became secretary of the British Amateur WeightLifters Association (BAWLA). His first duty with the association was to organize the weightlifting competition for the 1948 London Olympic Games.
Oscar would become secretary-general of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), a position he held from 1960 to 1976.
Oscar joined the IFBB in the late ’60s. Already highly respected throughout the world of sport and well known throughout the Olympic Movement, Oscar was instrumental in democratizing the IFBB. His was the guiding hand behind the first Constitution; the first Code of Ethics; the first Judging and Technical Rules. Oscar brought with him a unique blend of steadfast loyalty, unselfish dedication, and genuine commitment to what quickly became his passion – the IFBB and the sport he truly loved.
Oscar later became the IFBB’s executive vice president. In that capacity, he was instrumental in winning membership for the IFBB in the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) and the International Council for Sport and Physical Education (ICSPE) of UNESCO. GAISF is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and accepts among its membership only one International Sport Governing Body (ISGB) per sport. For the sport of bodybuilding, that ISGB is the IFBB. This single event lent credibility, integrity and respectability to the IFBB and the sport.
Oscar State received the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), presented to him by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Said Ben Weider, IFBB Founder and President and longtime friend, "The IFBB has been blessed in such a way that the right people have always come along at exactly the right time. Oscar was such a person; one of the most gifted officials I have ever known. His contribution to the growth and development of the IFBB and the sport was so important that I cannot even begin to imagine where we would be without the efforts of this extraordinary man."
Today, the IFBB honors the memory of this outstanding pioneer by presenting each year to the top IFBB official worldwide the Oscar State Memorial Award.
Hall of Fame Inductees for 2005 |
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