Emerging in its process.
Sport is a specific type of physical and intellectual activity performed for the purpose of competition, as well as targeted preparation for them through warm-up and training. Combined with rest, the desire for gradual improvement physical health, increasing the level of intelligence, obtaining moral satisfaction, striving for excellence, improving personal, group and absolute records, fame, improving one’s own physical capabilities and skills. Sport is intended to improve the physical and mental characteristics of a person.
Since Ancient Greece and to this day the history of the sport can be easily traced. Over time, the sport became more organized and regulated. New types and subtypes of sports appeared and were formed, the rules were clarified, the sport acquired traditions and supporters.
Sports in Russia
According to 2008 data, in Russia there were 2,687 stadiums with stands for 1,500 seats or more, 3,762 swimming pools, 123.2 thousand planar sports facilities. In 2008, the number of people working in sports sections and groups amounted to 22.6 million people, including 8.1 million women.
See also
| Portal "Sport" | |
| Sport in Wiktionary | |
| Sport in Wikiquote | |
The following facts about athletes will remind you of something that everyone has long forgotten.
1. Famous thinkers of Ancient Greece (Demosthenes, Socrates, Hippocrates, Democritus, Aristotle) at one time took part in the Olympic Games. Moreover, Pythagoras became famous as a champion in fist fighting, and Plato - in the martial arts pankration.
2. Back in 1932, the 100-meter race was conquered by an athlete from Poland, Stanislava Walasiewicz. Then she set a world record. And only in 1980, after her death, during an autopsy it was discovered that Stanislava Valasevich was a man.
This was revealed by the genitals, although the chromosome set of this person was both female and male. 
3. The four-time World Cup winner has an interesting nickname in the Slavic interpretation. alpine skiing and two-time Austrian Olympic champion Hermann Mayer - "Herminator". 
4. Chinese representative Song Minmin is the tallest basketball player in the whole world. 
His height is 236 centimeters and his weight is 152 kilograms.
5. March 20, 1976 was remembered for the unusual match of Aston Villa against Leicester City. 
Then Chris Nicholl, a first-team player, scored two goals each against the enemy and his own. The match ended with a score of 2:2.
6. Interesting facts about athletes also concerns unusual, sometimes tragic, phenomena during competitions. 
In 1998, during a soccer match in the Democratic Republic of Congo, lightning struck the field. 11 players from the visiting team died, 30 fans received burns. But representatives of the home team remained unharmed.
7. In 1957, baseball player Richie Ashburn hit a ball that hit a fan and smashed her face. 
Surprisingly, after the game resumed, the same player again hit the same spectator who, after the previous blow, was carried out of the stadium on a stretcher.
8. Alexander Medved, a Soviet athlete, won ten world championships in freestyle wrestling - more than anyone else. 
9. Haile Gebrselassie, the Olympic 10,000m champion from Ethiopia, has a special running style. 
He presses left hand to the body, more than the right one, and bends it unusually. The athlete explains this posture during competitions by the fact that as a child he had to run 10 kilometers to school in the morning and back in the evening, holding textbooks in his left hand.
10. Most fast man Usain Bolt from Jamaica is recognized. 
In 2009, he set world records: he ran the 100-meter race in 9.58 seconds, and the 200-meter distance in 19.19 seconds.
11. In ancient times, the Greeks played sports and competed in olympic games naked. 
Olympic competitions are watched with excitement not only by savvy fans, but also by people far from sports.
If you are one of these people, you probably have a lot of questions about the mysterious behavior of athletes, their mysterious rituals and many other details of competitions that seem strange or outlandish to an unprepared person.
We invite you to lift the veil of sports secrets.
What is this white powder that gymnasts smear on their hands?
This is magnesia powder. It removes the slightest traces of moisture from the hands, which can lead to the apparatus falling off, and facilitates sliding, making it easier for gymnasts to spin on the uneven bars or horizontal bar.
How is the distance over which an athlete has long jumped measured? He flops his whole body, so from what point does the countdown begin?
It's simple: the landing point is considered to be the point of contact closest to the push bar. That is why jumpers try to stretch their arms and legs forward - so as not to accidentally scratch their limbs on the sand before the final landing, because in any case, only the first touch will be counted.
Do synchronized swimmers hear the music they perform to?
Yes. For this purpose, special speakers are built into the pool underwater. French synchronized swimmer Margot Chretien claims: “The sound, of course, is not like in headphones, but everything is heard normally.”
Why do swimmers pat themselves on the back before starting?
For many athletes, this clapping is a familiar ritual that reduces nervous tension. Some, however, argue that these clap speed up blood circulation, which is not superfluous before the start.
Why do some swimmers wear two rubber caps at once?
The second cap presses the elastic band of the swimming goggles, because of this they fit tighter and do not risk slipping.
What kind of bruises are visible on Michael Phelps' body? What, the coach beats him?
And not only Phelps, but also other American athletes. Only these are not bruises, but marks from medical cups - the same ones that our mothers and grandmothers used to treat colds in childhood. Now at sports world- a new fashion fad: cupping is believed to increase blood circulation and help relax muscles.
What is the water temperature in Olympic swimming pools?
According to International Olympic Committee standards, the water temperature in Olympic pools should be between 27 and 28 degrees Celsius.
Why are the Olympic field hockey fields blue?
Field hockey fields are covered with artificial grass. The color blue was first used on London Olympics in 2012, since the blue surface contrasts best with the yellow ball, which is convenient for spectators, judges and the athletes themselves. At the Beijing Games 2008 and earlier, athletes played on a green field with a white ball.
Why does the score go so strange in tennis - 15, 30, 40, game?
Initially, the scoring system was associated with the position of the hands on the clock, which counted points in quarters - 15 minutes, 30, 45 and finally 60. However, later, in France in the 19th century, with the development of tennis, the number 45 was replaced by 40 - presumably to It was easier to announce the score. Several attempts were made to change the number system to a simpler one - from 1 to 4 - but they were not successful.
Why American football never became an Olympic sport?
American football is popular mainly in the USA. Therefore, the IOC decided what to include in Olympic program a sport that is interesting only to residents of one country does not make sense.
What is freestyle swimming?
Exactly what the name says: the athlete is allowed to swim in any style, even doggy style. Restrictions apply only in the medley relay: here an athlete swimming freestyle is allowed to swim as he pleases, but not breaststroke, butterfly or backstroke. However, the vast majority of athletes consider one or another type of crawl to be freestyle.
What do the five Olympic rings symbolize?
They symbolize the unity of the five continents, although none of them are a symbol of any specific continent. The colors of the rings - blue, red, yellow, green, black - were chosen as the most common colors found on the flags of countries around the world.
Where did the tradition of lighting the cup with the Olympic flame come from for the entire duration of the Games?
This is an ancient Greek tradition - however, many people know about it. Few people, however, are aware that ancient Greek olympic flame was not just a torch, but an altar on which sacrifices were made to the gods. Fortunately, this part of the tradition has not reached us.
What sports are included in modern pentathlon?
Modern pentathlon is a sport that dates back to military training in the 19th century. In fact, it recreates the situations that an officer had to face when delivering a report to the commander through the enemy's ranks. It includes horse racing, shooting, fencing, swimming and running.
Why are all gymnasts so short? 
There are many explanations for this. One of them says that it is not natural data that is to blame for this, but the training regimen. At the ends of human bones there are cartilage pads, the so-called “growth plates”. If these pads are constantly subjected to excessive stress, they become thinner and bone growth slows down. Since gymnastics is at the level of sports highest achievements- this is a very traumatic thing for the musculoskeletal system; these same “growth plates” wear out very quickly, and growth practically stops.
Why are two bronze medals awarded at judo competitions?
This is the scheme of competitions in judo. According to it, athletes who lose in the quarterfinals meet each other in elimination bouts, and the winner of this “battle of four” receives bronze medal. The same competitions are held between the losers in the semi-finals - in the bout between them the second bronze medalist is determined. The same system operates, by the way, in boxing and classical wrestling.
Can judo be used for self-defense?
Yes. Judo - real martial art, which originated in Japan in the 16th century and was modernized in the 19th century by the master Jigoro Kano. Olympic view It became a sport only in 1964.
How much does it weigh gold medal?
At the 2016 Rio Games, gold medals weighed 500 grams. They consisted of 92.5% silver, 6.16% copper and only 1.34% gold, which was used only for coating. Thus, each Rio gold medalist received 6.7 grams of 24-karat gold.
And how much does an Olympic gold medal cost?
Somewhere between $560 and $590. But this is the official price; on the collectibles market the price is many times higher. Thus, the gold medal won by black athlete Jesse Owens in 1936 at the Berlin Olympics was auctioned in 2013 for $1.5 million.
Do Olympiad winners receive extra cash?
Depends on what country they represent. Brazilian athletes pay, in terms of calculation, about 30 thousand US dollars for “gold”, 15 thousand for “silver” and slightly less than 10 thousand for “bronze”. In Argentina, each medal costs about 20 thousand dollars, in Russia - about 60 thousand. But in Italy, bonuses for an athlete can reach 185 thousand dollars. But in the United States itself, only gold medalists are awarded, giving each a relatively modest amount of $25 thousand.
Interesting facts, interesting information about athletes and other people - this is information about health, strength, endurance, agility. In ancient times and in modern times, there were amazing people whose skills are difficult to imitate and they continue to amaze with their achievements and inspire modern athletes in the daily training. Unfortunately, in our time, many victories are based on doping and unsportsmanlike behavior. But there are still many athletes who achieve success with the help daily workouts, perseverance, training not only muscles, but also strengthening character.
Strength
Interesting facts about sports in ancient times. Sports and intelligence may seem incompatible concepts, but the ancient Greek scientists - Socrates, Hippocrates, Aristotle, Democritus, Demosthenes were famous athletes and participated in the Olympics, they had significant strength in addition to their intelligence. Pythagoras was a champion boxer, and fist fights in ancient times were much more brutal than modern ones - the hands were wrapped in bull skin so as not to injure the hands, and such a fist could cause much more harm to the enemy than an unarmed hand. Plato competed in the discipline of pankration - a mixture of boxing and wrestling, such fights could be as brutal as fist fights.
The most successful Soviet freestyle wrestler is Alexander Medved, who became the world champion 10 times.
The maximum weight of the bar pressed from the chest in a prone position was 486 kilograms. The record was set by weightlifter Ryan Keneally; while performing the exercise, he was unable to fully straighten his arms, as required by the rules, but the result was still counted, having calculated that no one would be able to lift a barbell weighing almost half a ton anyway.
Russian Denis Zalozny is very resilient - in one hour he did 1333 lifts with a flip on the bar. This athlete holds another record achievement (it was not officially registered) - 210 squats with a barbell weighing 100 kilograms.
Children often make excellent athletes. A five-year-old boy, Ronak, did 1,482 push-ups in 40 minutes. The child achieved this result by doing push-ups every day from the age of 2.5 years.
Ancient athletes could earn much more than modern ones. The Roman athlete Gaius Appuleius Diocles (2nd century AD) took part in chariot racing competitions. If we recalculate his fees in modern money, then his earnings amounted to 15 million dollars.
The heaviest sumo wrestler is the world champion in this sports discipline Emanuel Yabrauch. His height exceeds two meters, weight - over 400 kilograms.
Dexterity
The tallest basketball player in the world is the Chinese Song Minmin, he can be a record holder not only among athletes, but also among ordinary people - with a height of 2.36 meters, he has a very small weight - 152 kilograms, which allows him to move freely and achieve noticeable sports results. success.
1976 was an amazing year football match, in which the Aston Villa team player scored four goals - two against Leicester City, two against his own. The game ended in a draw, with a score of 2:2, surprising and perhaps angering the fans.
In 1957, at a baseball game, athlete Richie Ashburn hit the ball so that it broke the face of a woman who was sitting in the stands. The match was interrupted, and the woman with a broken head was taken to the first aid station on a stretcher. Having bandaged her head, the fan returned to her seat and the same baseball player again hit the same woman with the ball.
Parachuting has its own records - in 1960, American military man Joseph Kittinger jumped from a stratospheric balloon, which rose to a height of more than 31 kilometers, reaching a speed of 1149 kilometers per hour. Before the parachute opened, the athlete flew for more than 13 minutes. During the jump, Kittinger passed out; his life was saved by a parachute, which automatically opened at an altitude of 5.5 kilometers. The jump was made in special equipment; the paratrooper looked a little like an astronaut.
Bicycle acrobatics are very dangerous to health. However, cyclists sometimes perform tricks so difficult that they are recorded as records. At the age of 24, cyclist Jed Mildon performed a triple backflip (triple backflip) on a bicycle at a BMX show. The athlete prepared the trick for three months.
The most large number There were 145 water skiers who simultaneously rode behind one boat; the athletes rode in such a formation for almost two kilometers along the coast of Tasmania, setting a record that was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.
Tallest tennis court is located in Dubai, in a five-star hotel at an altitude of about three hundred meters. It is not installed on the roof, but is attached to the side of the building and seems to float in the air. When no one is playing on the court, helicopters can land on it.
Speed
Interesting information about track and field athletes. Ethiopian Haile Gebreselissie won the 10-kilometer race. When he runs, he presses his left arm to his body - this is a consequence of the fact that as a child he ran ten kilometers every day on the way to school, clutching his textbooks.
Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt runs the fastest in the world. In 2009, he set two records - in the 100-meter race he covered the distance in 9.58 seconds, and in the 200-meter race he finished in 19.19 seconds.
The longest jump with a skateboard was made in 2004 by Danny Wayne at a Los Angeles skateboarding competition. Having driven off a high ramp, Danny reached a speed of 88 kilometers per hour, flying 24 meters during the subsequent jump. The following year, the athlete turned his jump into a real show, flying over the Great Wall of China on a skateboard.
Racer and test driver Mauro Calo set a record for the longest drift (controlled drift) in a Mercedes car - he skidded 2308 meters, after which further movement was impossible due to damage to the tire.
The most dangerous looking BASE jumping is considered a sport - jumping with a parachute at low altitudes, during which the body can rotate uncontrollably, and the parachute may not open in time.
Motorsport is also a sport. Electric cars are very popular now. The fastest electric car was created by students from the American Brigham Young University (Whittingham, Vermont, USA). More than a hundred people worked on the project over seven years. Maximum speed exceeds 280 kilometers per hour, and at a slightly lower speed, 250 kilometers per hour, the car can drive for quite a long time. The car body is lightweight, made of carbon fiber, batteries are lithium phosphate. This is not just an experimental car, it is a real racing car, at least among electric vehicles.
If you have any other interesting facts about athletes, share them in the comments.
