|
|
I'd like to say a few words about national sports in Britain and Russia.During the 1980s there was a great increase in interest in getting fit and stayind healthy.A lot of people started running and jogging in their spare time.Aerobics classes opened in every town and number of sports centers increased.The 4 national Sports Councils in Englan,Scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland launched a compaign in 1987 called "What's your sport?" designed to encourage people to take an interest and participate in sport.
Many kinds of sport originated from England.The english have a proverb "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy".Soccer is one of the most popular games in the British Isles played from August until May.In summer the English national sport is cricket.Cricket is both a game and a standart of behaviour.When the English say:"That's not cricket" it means "That's not fair","to play the game" means "to be fair".Golf is Scotland chief contribution to British sport.Rugby Union,the amateur variety of Rugby football is the Welsh national sport played by all sections of society.Fishing is a popular British sport too.Walking and swimming are two most popular sporting activities.Snoocker,pool,darts are the next most popular sports among men.Aerobics and yoga,squash and cycling are among the sports where
participation has been increasing in recent years.Also marathons have been a popular kind of sport.The London Marathon has become an international famous event.There are now over 100 marathons every year in Britain,and many towns organise sponsored runs or walks to raise money for charity.The international charity project Sport Aid organised a worldwide sponsored run called "The Race Against Time" to help raise money for the starving in Africa.
There are several places in Britain associated with a particular kind of sport.One of them is Wimbledon,where the All-England Lawn Tennis Championships are held in July.The other one is Wembley,where international football mathes,the Cup Finals and other events have taken place since 1923.The third one is Derby,the most famous flat race in the english racing calendar.
As for Russia,it tries to develop all the Olympic sports as much as possible,and it is not by chance that among Olympic champions and other medallists practically in every kind of sport are representatives of Russia.There are many nationalities living in Russia and all of them have their own traditional falk games and amusements,some of which go back to centuries and are worth being called sports.
The Northern people stage such competitions as dog-team and reindeer-sled racing, axe throwing, and archery;and the Russian are traditionally keen on gorodki,a game in which a heavy wooden bat is hurled to knock wooden pins which are put together in various figures.
In recent years,various foreign sports have been given more attention in Russia.The first baseball teams have emerged,altough this largely a result of efforts by sports officials: the game is to be included in Olympics in future.Golf courts are being built with the assistance of foreign partners.In Moscow,the Federation of billiards - a game which was once highly popular in Russia - has been instituted.
The former Soviet Union and then Russia Federation has been taking part in the summer Olympic Games since 1952 and in the winter Olympics since 1956. Hundereds of athletes have become Olympic gold, silver and bronze medallists and record-setters,a number of them more than once.For example,Sergei Bubka has been recognized in the world as "an athlete of the year" about 4 times.
I think that is all really.
