Physical training and sport

The North is a land of the strong. Just to live here one should be very strong-willed, firm, brave and smart. No wonder that people living in Chukotka always considered good physical training extremely necessary and gave much attention to various sport competitions. Not a single feast would do without racing, wrestling, shooting or ball games. And not only men, but also women and children could participate.

Here is an example of how an 18th century explorer C.G.Merk described entertainment of Chukchi people "…Also they spend time jumping over a belt which they held by its ends and quickly turned over the head and under legs of the one who was jumping. As long as the season allows, they exercise in running in circle – they do it every evening till they get out of breath. After running goes wrestling: the crowd gets seated in a circle, wrestlers take off their fur shirts and slowly get down to work; they grab each other by arms and shoulders, join their heads and kick each other trying to trip the opponent up or bring him down, they jump at each other shouting out loud or sit down to throw one another over… In winter reindeer-breeding Chukchi arrange reindeer-sledge races. For example, our host when we stayed with them organized such race to celebrate his son’s recovery from disease. After the race younger men arranged a running competition: they ran for several miles wearing only young reindeer fur parkas, underpants and fur stockings. The celebration ended with wrestling, and in the evening all guests with their wives went back to their yarangas."

Traditional sports – essential part of Chukotka native peoples’ culture – are studied and practiced at local general and sport schools. Classic Olympic sports are no less popular.

All in all, more that 20 Olympic and 10 traditional sports are practiced in the region.

Unified state system of physical training and sport management is now introduced here, which creates all the necessary prerequisites for upbringing and training of the youth. Physical training system of the region unites 160 sport groups and sport clubs, 7 sport schools for children, 3 sport divisions in Children Art Houses, 6 district sport federations, the Chukotka football clubs division and a Students’ volleyball league.

Training lessons organized in the frames of this program are attended by more than 11,000 schoolchildren and students. Sport sections and fitness groups are popular with another 13,000 people of different social levels. Sport schools train more than 3,500 sportsmen.

Also very popular are special sport competitions organized by different professional and social groups - power structures workers, energy system workers, agricultural workers, young people, students and schoolchildren. Every year the District Sport Committee alone conducts more than 20 various sport events for different categories of population, in which about 6,000 sportsmen participate.

In recent years combined teams of Chukotka more and more often participate in All-Russian and international competitions – and quite with success, especially in the World Arctic Winter Games, All-Russia Students’ Sport Festival, sporting events of the workers of Russia, All-Russian Rural Sport Competition, and in box tournaments between women and juniors, in classical wrestling, judo, athletics and traditional sports.

Material and technical base of sport facilities is getting better: the regional government and the “Pole of Hope” fund have helped to repair and equip gyms in all schools of Anadyr and the whole sport complex of the regional Children Sport School; a new sport complex will soon open – the building for it is being reconstructed and equipment purchased.