Winter sports in Russia are notable for their diversity. Demonstration of such abilities is usually held in the north of the country, since most ski slopes are located there. Murmansk is the largest city in the world, located beyond the Arctic Circle. He is the capital of such events. There are 296 sports facilities in it, including sports palaces, stadiums, swimming pools, ski resorts, ski centers and so on. Every year he receives a large number of athletes from all over the country who are going to demonstrate their many talents.
What is the main winter event of the country called? And how did it affect the sporting life of Russia? We will tell further in the article.
Characteristic of a sports celebration
Holiday of the North is the main event in winter sports, which takes place in early spring in Murmansk. Why did you choose this particular period?
It takes quite a lot of time to prepare the ski slopes, in a particularly cold time (January-December) this is impossible, since snow pours daily and almost continuously.
Also, in the winter period, full organizational preparation takes place, as much as three months are allotted for registration in the competition, and quite a lot of people are recruited. There are no restrictions, everyone will be allowed to participate as soon as the registration process is completed. The main thing is to have strong health and cheerful mood.
The origins of the event
The first holiday of the North was held on March 30 in 1934. The specificity of this celebration was that only skiers took part in the competitions. 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 that 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 influence Russian traditions. The holiday of the North continued in the same vein, the athletes were so enthusiastic that they were sent to the competitions right from the front.
Post-war active sports life
After the end of terrible fascist actions on the territory of the Soviet Union, the holiday gained double momentum. The organizers developed new concepts that could attract more young audiences, since at the dawn of sports competitions the age of the participants began from thirty years.
In 1961, an additional program was introduced, which opened up new opportunities for schoolchildren and students. The organizers took care of honesty and created a separate category of participants, which was separated from adult, professional athletes. It was a junior group that underwent special training before the competitions themselves.
The year 1962 was marked by the addition of ice hockey to the list of competitions. By that time, the Celebration of the North already had a complete integrated program in which representatives of any winter sport could take part.
Exit to a new level
The year 1971 was no less significant for this celebration. Holiday of the North (photos of the competitive process are in the article) went global and gathered at the events a lot of foreign representatives of winter sports games. These 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 changes to this triumph. If we look at the beginning of the 2000s, then from this period extreme sports began to prevail more: climbing, kiting and windsurfing. In the future, extraordinary varieties were added: football in the snow, competitions for inveterate fishermen in casting fishing rods.
It should be noted that from year to year people themselves offer innovations and add diversity to the holiday of the North. Murmansk constantly hosts guests who come to participate in sports competitions. For increased comfort, the event was moved far beyond the boundaries of the city itself, to the forest valley of Cosiness. This is a powerful sports complex where all the conditions for a sports event are created.
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 sporting event is the marathon, which unites several states at once. The name speaks for itself - "Friendship Ski." Competitions of this kind appeared relatively recently, after 1994.
This is a ski race that takes place in several countries - Russia, Norway and Finland. Most importantly, you don’t need to bother with documents to participate. Even if you are a foreigner, you can easily participate without a passport.
Opening the season 2015!
This year was a turning point for a sports celebration, as it took place in the village of Bolshe Uki. The holiday of the North was a success, and there were more than enough participants who arrived. Despite the fact that the venue of the competition has changed, the enthusiasm has not diminished, and everyone with great willingness participated in various competitions.
Also, there were many press conferences at which the organizers answered all questions of interest.
Participants were active in all areas of sports, as well as in those non-traditional types that were described earlier.
