Sports can rightfully be considered not only a form of active recreation, but also a way to improve your he alth. Physical culture development affects many aspects of the life of an individual and the country as a whole: the vitality of a person, his energy and ability to work, in a broader sense, the level of he alth of the population and the sports power of the country. Physical disciplines train not only the body, but also the will, character, influence behavior and educate.
What is the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR?
Unlike many other sports competitions that took place in the Soviet Union, the Spartakiad included more than two dozen disciplines, which gave many athletes a chance to prove themselves. And with the development of sports, there were many who wanted to: students of schools and colleges, employees of enterprises and state farms. They went through a difficult but worthy path from city events to the final competitions. In terms of scale, the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR was not inferior even to the Olympic Games.
How did these sports competitions originate in the USSR?
In 1922 on the territoryEastern Europe, Northern, Eastern and Central Asia, a state arose - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Soon, due to diplomatic inconsistencies, the Union of Republics became isolated from Western countries: the new government refused to make up for the debts of the old monarchical system. So, even the Olympic Committee at the international level decided to refuse the USSR to participate in the main sporting event. But our state could not be stopped by this: it was impossible to tame the sports spirit and character of the population just like that. In addition to this, at an early stage of its formation, the Soviet Union had to overcome the ruin and devastation in the country after the First World War and the Civil War, the revolution and the displacement of monarchism. All this contributed to the emergence of their own "Olympic Games" - the Spartakiad of the peoples of the USSR. The purpose of these competitions was to promote a sports lifestyle, improve the skills of the athletes themselves, and increase the importance of sports in the country.
Start started
Leningrad can rightly be considered the birthplace of the Spartakiad in the USSR. It was in this city in 1924 that sports circles and clubs called Spartak held the first major competitions in several disciplines. At the same time, the Olympic Games were held in Paris, and therefore, in contrast to the "Olympiad", the competitions in the USSR were called "Spartakiad". Since this year, such competitions have become widespread throughout the world. In 1928, it was decided to hold the first Spartakiad of the peoples of the USSR. In honor of this event, it was in advancerenovated and built stadiums, playgrounds and sports centers. For a whole year, the best athletes of their cities participated in competitions of various levels in order to get a chance to show their skills in the capital.
In August 1928, a huge number of young people became part of the large-scale opening of the first All-Union Spartakiad. From the very next day, the competitions themselves began, in which twice as many athletes participated as in the Olympic Games in the Netherlands of the same year. The events were held at the new stadium, the number of seats in which was very large for that time - as much as 25 thousand! In two weeks, new records were set, and the very idea of a sports life and a he althy lifestyle spread throughout the country.
Pride of the country
It was at this time that the first champions of the Spartakiad of the peoples of the USSR appeared. One of them was the athlete Kornienko Timofey. His records set in the short distance races (100 and 200 meters) could not be beaten for the next decade. Shamanova Maria from Moscow also took a prominent place in track and field athletics, who managed to win in five disciplines.
Alexander Shumin, originally from Leningrad, played a role in water sports. He managed to win the championship in eight out of nine heats, which undoubtedly became a record for the USSR. Leningrad presented the winners in water polo too: the team defeated the players from Moscow by 6 points!
The big surprise for the audience was the final of the onekilometer. There were two contenders for victory: Maksunov Alexey and Iso-Hollo Wolmari, who has never lost to anyone at long distances. But it was the Leningrader who managed to get ahead of him on the last lap and set a new USSR record.
Participation in competitions of this level was the main achievement of any athlete. Of course, at the event itself, the badge of the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR was the award. In the early years of the competition, it looked like a coin measuring 21 mm in diameter. On one side, two athletes were depicted in profile: a young man and a girl, while a hairpin was attached to the back. These badges were produced by the Moscow Mint.
The idea of sport in the life of the people
It was the Spartakiad of the peoples of the USSR that laid the foundation for the formation of great athletes and international champions. Thanks to them, the idea of sport became popular among young people, which attracted more and more participants to the competitions.
