Apr 23

Apr 23 The Most Popular Sports in Russia

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The Top 5 Most Popular Sports in Russia

Sports became mainstream in Russia after the Second World War - and Soviet athletes achieved big in international sports events. Quite a lot of them under dubious circumstances…

But what are the most popular sports in Russia in 2023? Read on to find out more!

Georgi Shchennikov playing for CSKA Moscow

Over 50 million people in Russia participate in different sports activities. It has millions of sports fans and thousands of professional players, making new records every day.

Russia took part in the Summer Olympic Games in 1952 and the Winter Olympic Games in 1956.

In addition, the Russian government has invested time and money in sports programmes, infrastructure and institutions to promote different sports across the country.

The government has also recruited skilled professionals to participate in local, national-level and international competitions.

In this article, we’ll list the 5 most popular sports in Russia.

1. Football

1.5 million people in Russia play football
Russia hosted the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Russia reached the 2008 Euro Cup semi-finals

Football is the most popular sport in Russia, and 1.5 million people in Russia play this sport. In fact, young people love participating in football at a local level.

Russia hosted the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 2018, making it the largest country to host an international competition after the United States hosted the World Cup in 1994.

In addition, Association Football is the most popular sport in Russia, attracting millions of fans nationwide.

The Russian national football team has made several achievements throughout modern football history.

Russia’s national team won the Euro Cup in 1960, becoming the first-ever European champions.

Although the fall of the Soviet Union impacted Russian football, the sports department worked hard to revive this sport.

The revival of Russian clubs in the early 2000s allowed them to participate in regional tournaments.

CSKA Moscow is a well-known Russian football club, and this team won the UEFA Cup in 2005. Similarly, Zenit ST Petersburg is another Russian club that won the UEFA Cup in 2008.

The national football team played brilliantly in the 2008 Euro Cup and reached the semi-finals, but they lost to Spain.

The revival of Russian football and great Russian football players like Lev Yashin and Valeri Karpin have all made it possible for Russia to succeed in this sport!

2. Ice Hockey

Around 31% of people in Russia watch ice hockey
Russia won a gold medal in ice hockey at the 1992 Olympic Games
103,101 registered professional ice hockey players in Russia

Ice hockey is Russia's second most popular sport after football.

Around 31% of people in Russia watch and enjoy ice hockey. As Russia has intense winters with a significant amount of snow, this country creates favourable conditions for ice hockey enthusiasts.

That's why ice hockey is one of the most famous sports in Russia, enjoyed by young people in particular.

Russia has 103,101 registered professional players who regularly participate in ice hockey.

The Russian Ice Hockey Federation, established in 1992, governs this sport throughout the country. This team participated in the 1992 Olympic Games, and they won the gold medal.

The Russian 1992 Olympic Games team included:

21 Russian players
One Ukrainian player
One Lithuanian player

Since then, Russians have shown a keen interest in this sport.

The 2021 Channel One Cup in Moscow attracted over 50 million viewers, and each game had 12.7 million viewers, on average.

The number of Channel One Cup viewers in 2021 increased by 38% compared to viewership figures in 2020.

Moreover, a record number of 14 million people watched the ice hockey match between Russia and Finland as part of the 2021 Channel One Cup.

3. Volleyball

560,000 active volleyball players in Russia
Yekaterina Gamova is a famous Russian volleyball player
The women’s team is eighth in the world rankings

Volleyball is one of the oldest and most famous sports in Russia- and it’s also one of the most popular sports in the world.

People in Russia were first attracted to volleyball in the early 20th century, and famous players include Yekaterina Gamova and Dmitriy Muserkiy.

It is particularly popular in certain regions, including:

Kazan
Novgorod
Nizhny
Volga regions

The sport gained countrywide recognition in 1920.

Myasnitskaya Street has a lot of significance in Russian volleyball history, as it hosted the first official match in Russia on July 28, 1923.

In addition, the Moscow Council of Physical Education formed a committee to develop and approve official rules for volleyball competitions.

Since then, several national-level championships have been held throughout the country, particularly in Moscow.

The Russian national men's team has won four gold medals in Olympic Games. It has also won six World Cups and six FIVB World Champions.

Russia ranks number four in the world of volleyball after Brazil, the US and Poland. The women's volleyball team is currently eighth in the world rankings.

Russia has 560,000 active volleyball players, including 8,144 licensed male players and 7,904 female players.

There are 109 registered volleyball teams in Russia. In addition to regular volleyball, Russians also play beach volleyball, with 72 registered teams.

4. Basketball

Around 36% of people in Russia are interested in basketball
The Russian Basketball Federation manages three basketball leagues
The Russian basketball industry will be worth $15.2 million by 2026

Basketball is another popular sport in Russia.

It is an enthusiastic game that keeps fans on the edge of their seats. Around 10 million people in Russia search the internet to learn about basketball or get updates on this sport.

The Russian Basketball Federation (RBF) governs this sport throughout the country, making policies, establishing programmes and developing infrastructure, to promote the sport and recruit skilled players.

The RBF has been governing Russian basketball since 1991 and it is the successor to the former Soviet Basketball Federation.

It organises and manages three basketball leagues, including:

The Russian Super League
The Russian Professional Basketball League
The Russian Women's Basketball Premier League

Around 36% of Russians show interest in basketball, and the Russian basketball industry has flourished during the last four or five years.

The worth of Russia’s basketball industry has grown over the years:

$5.3 million in 2018
$5.9 million in 2019
$6.6 million in 2020
$7.5 million in 2021
$8.5 million in 2022

It’s also estimated to reach a whopping $15.2 million by 2026.

5. Boxing

Russian boxers have won 14 gold medals in the Olympics
It is one of the top 14 countries with immense boxing popularity
Russian boyars use boxing to improve their fighting skills

Boxing is another famous sport in Russia, and millions of people across the country watch local, national and international boxing competitions.

Russian boyars practised boxing for recreational purposes and to improve their fighting skills, allowing them to participate in local contests.

Most of these fights took place in crowded areas during big holidays.

Russia is one of the top 14 countries with immense boxing popularity based on market size.

Famous Russian boxers include:

Kostya Tszyu
Alexander Povetkin
Boris Lagutin
Stanislav Stepashkin

Professional boxing and Olympic-style boxing are governed by the Russian Boxing Federation (RBF), and Russian boxers have won 14 gold, 19 silver and 18 bronze medals in the Olympics.