What are the Top Sports Invented in the Soviet Union?

Sports have played a pivotal role in shaping the superiority of the Soviet Union’s socialist system over the years. The Soviet Union’s government has been entirely supportive of the growth of athletes in the past and has provided massive contributions in terms of providing high-tech training centres, stadiums, and sports infrastructure. Additionally, the emergence of top athletes such as Radion Gataullin, Alexander Karelin, Elena Välbe, Sergei Yuran, Anatoly Khrapaty, Svetlana Boginskaya, Garry Kasparov, and many others has further highlighted the upsurging prominence of sports in the Soviet Union. While the stalwart athletes of the Soviet Union have continued to dominate a wide array of sports over the past few decades, the country has also conceptualized a series of home-grown games that are now witnessing active inclusion from multiple countries, making them one of the most sought-after sports in the world. 

In this article, we will take a look at the top four most sought-after sports that have their roots embedded in the Soviet Union. 

1. Chess Boxing 

Often referred to as a hybrid sport, Chess Boxing involves the two most popular games in the world, chess and boxing. Although the game of chess boxing was first introduced in a French comic book in 1992, it was later introduced and organized as a professional game in the early 2000s in Russia. With its unique combination of mental and physical abilities, the game of chess-making gained enormous popularity in the country in a short span of time. Numerous Russian athletes who were professionals in either boxing or chess, stepped up to support the unconventional and highly innovative format of chess boxing and promoted the sport as one of the leading Russian sports at the global forefront. Currently, chess boxing is revered as a highly competitive sport and has made its breakthrough in top-notch tournaments, including Chess Boxing Global (CBG).

Also Read: What are the Top Sports Invented in India?

2. Bandy 

Almost similar to the format of ice hockey, Bandy was introduced in the world of competitive sports by Russia in the early 20th century. Often regarded as “Russian hockey”, the game of bandy requires the athletes to play hockey on massive ice rinks with large curved hockey sticks and a bandy ball that was initially made with a cork core with a hard plastic coating on the top. With an active inclusion of over one billion people, Bandy is still considered to be one of the most prominent games in Russia. Moreover, with highly competitive leagues such as Bandy World Championship for men and the Women’s Bandy World Championship for women, the game of bandy is currently one of the most sought-after sports in the world, represented by a group of prominent and legendary athletes including Nikolay Sologubov (Russia), Erik Pettersson (Sweden), Vyacheslav Kiselev (Russia), Anders Östling (Sweden) and Sergey Lomanov Jr. (Russia).

3. Rhythmic Gymnastics 

Currently governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique, the sport of rhythmic gymnastics has its roots embedded in Russia’s early 20th century. Russia developed the unconventional form of gymnastics by introducing the movements of ballet dance and apparatus such as hoops and ropes. Although it was introduced in the early 20th century, rhythmic gymnastics gained prominence only in the mid-20th century when a group of Russian gymnasts took over and represented the sport at the forefront. With prominent athletes including Irina Deriugina and Vera Shtelbaums and top-notch training personnel, Russia revolutionized the concept of gymnastics on the global stage. Currently, rhythmic gymnastics is included at the most popular tournaments, including the World Championships, the World Cup series (including the defunct World Cup Final and World Cup qualifiers), the World Games, the Olympic Games, as well as the Youth Olympic Games.

Also Read: Olympic Glory: Unforgettable Moments in Olympic History

4. Sambo 

Sambo was conceptualized by the Soviet Union as a form of combat sport in the 1920s, which stands as an acronym for “samozashchita bez oruzhiya”, which literally means “self-defence without weapons”. Sambo initially was greatly inspired by the techniques and tactics of other self-defense combat sports, including judo, jujitsu, and other Russian wrestling styles. Originally developed by Viktor Spiridonov and Vasili Oshchepkov, the Russian pioneers of self-defense sports, Sambo was initially restricted only to the armed forces of the Soviet Union and later became prominent among the civilians of Russia as an incredible force in the field of self-defense. A few years later, in 1968, Sambo achieved the stature of a highly competitive and regulatory sport with the establishment of the International Federation of Amateur Wrestling (FILA), now known as United World Wrestling (UWW). Currently, Sambo is considered to be a highly revered and competitive sport, contested in top-notch tournaments, including the FIAS World SAMBO Championships.