Sport in Russia

1. Sport in Russia History

2. «Igrischa» One of the most ancient forms of original physical training of eastern slavs held mass national festivals called «games»  [»igrischa»]. In the early period «igrischa» were devoted to pagan rites  «Swimming games»,  « Turovy games» etc. They were also held after acceptance of christianity (X century), but since that time were dated to Christian church holidays.

3. The main elements of the Games were songs, dances, round dances, run, jumps, wrestling, fisticuffs, various games such as «torches», «lupta»,  «small towns» [gorodki], game with a sort of «hockey» stick and other physical exercises and the entertainment promoting development of force, dexterity, endurance, courage, persistence.

4. These simple terms «games»,  «fun and entertainment» actually had the phenomenon of the big importance for the nation. Created by people, they as anything else, formed the physically perfect people with and strong will, and the new nation image convincingly reflected in labor and, in particular, in long, lasting for centuries, heavy struggle against the bitter enemies, aspiring to enthrall Russian people.

5. In Ancient Russia among the exercises playing the big role in physical development of people there was skiing. Statements of foreigners of that time were like that  « … Russians quickly run on .»snow on a ski or wooden soles, resting sticks in snow

6. In 1953 during excavation in Novgorod the most ancient copy high-speed a ski of XII-XIII centuries was found. That ski has length of 192 sm, its average width — 8 sm, thickness 1см, and in a place where the leg is put, — 3 sm. Curvature of all lines is thoroughly designed and verified. In a Novgorod' ski there were made holes for inserting a foot fixing belt.

7. Besides for household needs and hunting they began to use skis as a communication military facility. In Nikonov annals for 1444 the successful campaign of the Moscow ski host for defense of the city Ryazan against tatar tsarevitch Mustafa from Golden Horde is described.

8. Skis were used in Peter's I and Ekaterina' II armies. In the deep antiquity of past centuries the roots of national fun, entertainment, games, entertainment with skis, including elements of competitions can be observed. Besides walking on skis, winter was a good time for skating and sledding, stick fights on ice, a capture of snow fortresses etc.

9. In Ancient Russia the big role was played by physical exercises like fisticuffs and fencing fights, wrestling etc., promoting development of physical strength, dexterity, endurance and resoluteness, readiness for defense. Even in a Slavic military — funeral ceremony these exercises were traditionally arranged for the purpose of military and physical development of soldiers.

10. The image of a man from the military retinue of the Prince — « the brave combative man « was creatively depicted as the Russian epic heroes [«bogatyry»]. «Bogatyry», the Russian epic heroes are people whose personal interests are actually the interests of the nation on the whole.

11. In the Russian epic poems the reality was described by artificial generalization means, physical exercises of the Russian epic heroes like wrestling, horse exercises, swimming, shooting from a bow, a throwing of «palitsa» (a heavy stick) are depicted. As for Prince Vladimir, for example, it is written, that he used to bring his military team in a field « to shoot at the oak» growing there.

12. Basing on contents of the book « Words about Igor' s regiment», the Russian epic poem «Ilya Muromets» and others one can conclude, that the entertaining of Russian epic heroes accompanied with competitions in physical strength, dexterity and military skills, were characterized by original methods of training and testing of their readiness for military defense.

13. Wrestling and fisticuffs were fond not only by youth, but also by adults. In the course of centuries developed seizure and wrestling methods developed. Opponents usually clasped each other in a crossing way. Other ways of seizure were also used. Among methods used there were  «beating» and  «tripping up». Wrestling was considered completed when one of opponents fell on the ground.

14. Fisticuffs widely distributed in Ancient Russia revealed physical strength and moral characteristics of participants. There were two kinds of fights: mass fights — « a wall against a wall» and single fights — «single combats». Formation of «walls» (teams), as a rule, was effected on a territorial principle (settlement, street, a large village).

15. In mass street fisticuffs the party banished the opponent from a place of fight became the winner. Single fisticuffs were more often practiced as a way of settlement of questions at issue and conflict judicial duels.

16. Fisticuffs' rules, known under the name of rules of fair fight, are widely reflected in national creative literature. These rules expressed in sayings and proverbs, stipulated, that « lying in fight does not go «, «don't hit a man when he's down» etc.

17. During the first half of XVIII century in Russia the fisticuffs were so widely expanded, that the government tried to regulate them. It's known that in 1726 St. Petersburg the head of police has declared the order forbidding fisticuffs within the bounds of the city without the police official permission. However, fisticuffs participants bypassed the established rules and competitions were held in other places.

18. In 1832 Nikolay I issued the decree about total and full prohibition of fisticuffs « … fisticuffs as an entertainment are harmful and are absolutely forbidden». But in spite of this law fisticuffs were still present in a national life.