Russians as a population are very keen in sports and have excelled in a number of sports activities. The country has become a regular feature in the Olympics games procuring high rankings in a very wide number of games. Though as USSR the nation was at its peak in the Olympics, even with the division Russia continues to be able to maintain its position that the Soviets had created.
The Russians have been in the sports news because of their participation in many games such as football, basketball, tennis, ice hockey, weightlifting, boxing, gymnastics, skiing, figure skating and volleyball along with 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. They are also the current winners of the Eurobasket World Championships having defeated Spain in the final game. They have already been champions of a variety of other European championships such as the Euroleague and the ULEB Cup. They also have a player in the Utah Jazz that is a NBA team.
Ice hockey is another successful sport with the Russians. They have about 30 players that are presently part of the NHL. Players today are still maintaining the tradition built in the Soviet era.
The Russians have carried forth their winning streak by being in the news because of their success in the field of ice skating. Having been a part of the winner team in the Winter Olympics, they have excelled in ice dancing and pair skating.
Football was probably the most successful sports during 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 sport 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 large number of the most successful women tennis players hail from this country along with some formidable men tennis players as well. These strong Russians have been around in the news because of their success inside the Olympics, Wimbledon, Fed Cup, Davis Cup and several such premier matches.
Chess is yet another sport which Russians have dominated for a very long time having produced several world champions and Grand Masters. Another of Russias popular sports is the Rugby League. The Russians rank 13th amongst all the teams based on the Rugby League International Federation sports news. Rugby Union is another sport that is fast gathering popularity among the Russian masses, with the country ranking 17th based on the International Rugby Board.
One of the sports that Russia has won several accolades for is Rhythmic Gymnastics. Along with being one of the most popular sports forms in the nation, it has highlighted Russia in the world of sports news for having the worlds best rhythmic gymnasts.
