Playing sports can rightfully be considered not only a form of outdoor activities, but also a way to strengthen your health. Physical culture development affects many aspects of the life of the individual and the country as a whole: the vitality of a person, his energy and ability to work, more broadly - the level of health of the population and the country's athletic power. 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 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 passed a difficult but worthy path from city events to the final competitions. In terms of the scale of the Games of the peoples of the USSR, they were not inferior even to the Olympic Games.
How did these sports competitions come about in the USSR?
In 1922, a state, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, arose on the territory of Eastern Europe, Northern, East, and Central Asia. 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 stop this: it was impossible to tame the sporting spirit and character of the population just like that. In addition to this, at the early stage of formation, the Soviet Union had to overcome the ruin and devastation in the country after the First World War and the Civil War, 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 objective of these competitions was to promote a sports lifestyle, increase the skill of the athletes themselves, and increase the importance of sports in the country.
The beginning of time
Leningrad can rightly be considered the birthplace of the Spartakiad in the USSR. It was in this city in 1924 that sports clubs 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 "Olympics", competitions in the USSR were called "Spartakiad". Since this year, widespread distribution of such competitions everywhere has begun. In 1928, it was decided to hold the first Spartakiad of the peoples of the USSR. In honor of this event, stadiums, venues and sports centers were repaired and built in advance. For a year, the best athletes of their cities participated in competitions at various levels 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 at the Olympic Games in the Netherlands of the same year. Events were held at the new stadium, the number of seats in which was very large for that time - as many as 25 thousand! In two weeks, new records were set, and the very idea of a sporting life and a healthy 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 short-distance races (100 and 200 meters), failed to beat the next decade of years. In athletics, Maria Shamanova from Moscow, who managed to win in five disciplines, also took a prominent place.
In water sports, Shumin Alexander came from Leningrad. He managed to win the championship in eight of the nine races, which, undoubtedly, became the record of the USSR. Leningrad presented the winners in water polo: the team defeated players from Moscow with an advantage of 6 points!
The big surprise for the audience was the final of the one kilometer race. There were two candidates for victory: Alexei Maksunov and Iso-Hollo Volmari, who had never conceded to anyone at long distances. But it was the Leningraders 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 award was the badge of the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR. In the early years of the competition, it looked like a coin 21 mm in diameter. On one side were two athletes 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 Games of the peoples of the USSR that laid the foundation for the formation of great athletes and champions of the international level. Thanks to them, the idea of sports became popular among young people, which attracted an increasing number of participants to the competition.