Sports

Sports of Kazan Universiade

Track and field athletics

Track and field athletics is a complex of field-events such as running, jogging, jumping (long jumping, high jumping, triple jumping, pole jumping), throwing (discus throwing, javelin, hammer throwing, shot-put) and other combined events. This is one of the basic and mass sports.

It is generally thought that the first track and field athletics competition appeared from the running competition of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece. In this way it’s obvious that track and field athletics was included into the Olympic Games since 776 B.C. But officially it became a part of the Olympic Games program only in 1896.

Track and field athletics in Russia

Track and field athletics appeared in Russia in 1886, when a sports club was organized in Tyarlevo, a short distance away from St. Petersburg. That year the first running competition was hold there. The first national track and field athletics competition took place in 1908. About 50 athletes participated in that significant event.

In 1911 the Russian National Union of the Track and Field Fans was formed which united about 20 different Sports Leagues of St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kiev, Riga and other cities.

47 Russian track and field athletes took part in the Olympic Games for the first time in 1912 in Stockholm. The bad qualification and training lead to a failure – no medals.

The first Russian Soviet Federated Socialistic Republic (RSFSR) Track and Field Athletics Championship took place in 1922, in Moscow. In 1923 soviet track and field athletes competed in their first international competition with the Finland Labor and Sport Union athletes.

Russian Pride

Valeriy Brumel (born May 14, 1942, Razvedki village, Tyndynsky district, the Amur Region – died January 26, 2003, Moscow) was a legendary soviet track and field athlete (high jumping), Sports Master of USSR (1961).

The Olympic Champion (1964), the Olympic Games Silver Medalist (1960), the European Champion (1961, 2.16 m), the USSR champion (1961-1963). Brumel set up 6 records (the last one in 1963). No one set up records in high jumping more often than he did.

The athlete was announced the best World Athlete. He was rewarded with the Order of the Red Labor Banner for his sports achievements (1964), in 1962 with the Helms Prize and the Golden Columbus Caravel.