Winter sports in Russia are notable for their diversity. A demonstration of such abilities usually takes place in the north of the country, since most of the ski slopes are located there. Murmansk is the world's largest city located beyond the Arctic Circle. It is the capital of such events. It has 296 sports facilities, including sports palaces, stadiums, swimming pools, ski resorts, ski centers and so on. Every year it hosts a large number of athletes from all over the country who are going to showcase their many talents.
What is the name of the country's main winter event? And how did it affect the sports life in Russia? We will tell further in the article.
Characteristics of the sports celebration
The Feast of the North is the premier winter sports event that takes place in early spring in Murmansk. Why did you choose this particular period?
It takes a lot of time to prepare ski slopes, in especially cold weather (January-December) it is impossible, as snow falls daily and almost continuously.
Also inthe winter period is full organizational preparation, for registration in the competition is given as much as three months, and there are quite a lot of applicants. There are no restrictions, everyone will be allowed to participate as soon as they go through the registration process. The main thing is to have strong he alth and a cheerful mood.
Origins of the event
The first holiday of the North was held on March 30, 1934. The specificity of this celebration was that only skiers took part in the competition. At that time, there were not enough contestants, but the popularization of the holiday led to the fact that the number of applicants increased significantly.
The organizers of the event at the time agreed that the sports program should be mixed with military training. Therefore, the celebration plan also included additional shooting contests.
Even the war could not affect Russian traditions. The Feast of the North continued in the same spirit, the athletes were so enthusiastic that they were heading to the competitions straight from the front.
Post-war active sports life
After the end of the terrible fascist actions on the territory of the Soviet Union, the holiday gained double momentum. The organizers were developing new concepts that would be able to attract more young audiences, since at the dawn of sports competitions, the age of participants started from thirty years old.
In 1961, an additional program was introduced that opened up new opportunities for schoolchildren and students. Organizerstook care of honesty and created a separate category of participants, which was separated from adults, professional athletes. It was a junior group that underwent special training before the competition itself.
1962 was marked by the fact that ice hockey was added to the list of competitions. By that time, the Festival of the North already had a full comprehensive program, in which representatives of any winter sport could take part.
Entering a new level
1971 was no less significant for this celebration. The Holiday of the North (photos of the competitive process are available in the article) reached the world level and gathered many foreign representatives of the winter sports games at the events. They were participants from Bulgaria, Hungary, the United States, Korea and so on.
Also in the same year, the first paratrooper competitions were included in the program, and closer to 1974, biathlon competitions began to be held.
Since 1984, the holidays of the peoples of the north begin with a solemn opening ceremony, the idea was borrowed from the Olympic Games. On the opening day, a festive fire is lit, then it is carried throughout the central square of the city.
Modern competitions
Each decade brought its own changes to this celebration. If we consider the beginning of the 2000s, then from this period extreme sports began to dominate more: rock climbing, kiting and windsurfing. ATLater, extraordinary varieties were added: football on the snow, competitions for avid fishermen in throwing fishing rods.
It should be noted that from year to year people themselves offer innovations and add variety to the holiday of the North. Murmansk constantly receives guests who come to participate in sports competitions. For increased comfort, the event was moved far beyond the city itself, to the Dolina Uyuta forest. This is a powerful sports complex, where all conditions are created for holding a sporting event.
But still, the organizers do not stop at one single place in the region and try to find new alternatives for a big holiday.
Skiing
One of the highlights of this wonderful sports festival is the marathon, which brings together several states at once. The name speaks for itself - "Ski Track of Friendship". Competitions of this kind appeared relatively recently, after 1994.
This is a ski race that takes place on the territory of several countries - Russia, Norway and Finland. The most important thing is that you don’t need to fiddle with documents to participate. Even if you are a foreigner, you can easily take part without a passport.
Opening the 2015 season
This year was a turning point for the sporting event, as it took place in the village of More Uki. The holiday of the North was a great success, and there were more than enough participants. Despite the fact that the venue of the competition has changed, the enthusiasm has not diminished, and all witheagerly participated in various competitions.
There were also many press conferences where the organizers answered all questions of interest.
The participants were active in all areas of sports, as well as in those non-traditional sports that were described earlier.
Interesting facts
Each year of the competition makes the history of the competition and opens up new opportunities for participants. For so many years of the event, many interesting events have taken place, information about which is collected in the archive. Here are some interesting facts for you:
- Vadim Sinyavsky, a well-known journalist, radio broadcaster, founder of the first Soviet school of sports commentary, was a famous commentator on the holiday of the North.
- In 2009, the event was included in the list of winners of the "Seven Wonders at the End of the World" competition based on the results of the popular vote.
- Also, the sports festival was not complete without honoring multiple champions. Among men, Sergey Dolidovich, the representative of Belarus, stood out (seven wins), among women - Yulia Chepalova from Khabarovsk (three wins).
- Thanks to this event, Russia entered the largest winter sports organizations: Euroloppet, Russialoppet and the Ski Russia Union of Marathons.
Discover new talents in yourself that can lead you to the top of Olympus, this will help the wonderful holiday of the North. Cross-country skiing, in particular, will reveal the sports potential and show whathow quickly you can beat a competitor.
Despite the fact that professionals can participate in the competition, you may be the one who will overcome all obstacles and get the main prizes.
