Russians as a population are very keen in sports and have excelled in a variety of sporting activities. The country has been a regular feature at the Olympics games procuring high rankings in a wide variety of games. Though as USSR the country was at its peak within the Olympics, even with the division Russia continues to be able to keep its position that the Soviets had created.
The Russians have been in the sports news for their participation in a number of games including football, basketball, tennis, ice hockey, weightlifting, boxing, gymnastics, skiing, figure skating and volleyball as well as a host of other sports.
Basketball developed in the nation during the Soviet era. The Russian team went on to win several Olympic medals for their performance in this particular game. Also, they are the present winners in the Eurobasket World Championships having defeated Spain in the final game. They have also been champions of a number of other European championships such as the Euroleague and the ULEB Cup. They also have a player within the Utah Jazz which is a NBA team.
Ice hockey is another very successful sport of the Russians. They’ve got about 30 players that are presently part of the NHL. Players today continue to be maintaining the tradition built in the Soviet era.
The Russians have carried forth their winning streak by being in news reports because of their success in the field of ice skating. Previously being part of the winner team in the Winter Olympics, they’ve excelled in ice dancing and pair skating.
Football was one of the most successful sports through the Soviet era. With the division of USSR came the division in the national football teams and clubs. The most important amongst those was the crumbling of the Russian Premier League as it lost a lot of its players. However, the game recovered its lost glory and presently has six Premier League teams aside from it now strong national team.
Since the end of the Soviet regime, Russia is continuing to grow as a powerhouse in the sport of tennis. A great number of the most successful women tennis players hail from this country together with some formidable men tennis players as well. These strong Russians have been in the news because of their success inside the Olympics, Wimbledon, Fed Cup, Davis Cup and many such premier matches.
Chess is another sport which Russians have dominated for a very long time having produced several world champions and Grand Masters. Another of Russias popular sports would be the Rugby League. The Russians rank 13th amongst all the teams according to the Rugby League International Federation sports news. Rugby Union is the one other sport that is fast gaining popularity amongst the Russian masses, with the country ranking 17th based on the International Rugby Board.
One of many sports that Russia has won several accolades for is Rhythmic Gymnastics. Together with being probably the most popular sports forms in the nation, it’s highlighted Russia in the world of sports news for having the worlds best rhythmic gymnasts.