The years of the Great Patriotic War were an important period for Russian and world history; not only everyday life changed, but also sports life. On the 80th anniversary of the victory, we will tell you about the role of sports during the battles and remember the country's heroes, their valiant feats and key events that brought the memorable May Day closer.
On June 22, 1941, at four o'clock in the morning, without declaring war, the armed forces of Nazi Germany suddenly launched a powerful offensive along the entire western border of the USSR from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea.
In the name of defending the Motherland, athletes bravely joined the ranks of the first volunteers. Already on June 27, 1941, at the Dynamo stadium in Moscow, the first detachments of a separate special-purpose motorized rifle brigade were formed from those who decided to fight not for gold medals, but for the freedom of the people. They included 350 students of the State Central Institute of Physical Culture, members of the Moscow football club Dynamo and representatives of other sports associations. They developed a partisan movement behind enemy lines and carried out reconnaissance operations.
The sports department of the Central House of the Red Army also changed its direction of activity. The first to go to the front were the Army athletes, and then the Shock ski battalions, and groups of demolition men and scouts were also formed. Under the leadership of the athletes who remained in the rear, military and physical training of the army reserve, hand-to-hand combat and ski instructors was carried out.
Every citizen of the USSR, regardless of their occupation, put all their efforts into helping the soldiers at the front. Therefore, sports facilities were suspended, the number of competitions decreased, but sports life in the country did not stop. Physical culture was part of the mentality of the citizens of the USSR, an important role was played by the "Ready for Labor and Defense" complex, established in 1931. It formed not only a culture of a healthy body and mind, but also taught applied skills that helped soldiers at the front and in the rear.
Work on preparing strong and resilient soldiers was carried out by 606 physical education teams. Sports military organizations numbered 35 thousand workers, who were also responsible for the Red Cross medical squads, extermination battalions and the people's militia.
The material was written based on the materials of electronic resources of the Heraklion Foundation and the Central Army Sports Club, as well as the KazanFirst media platform.
фото: по материалам МЧС России
