Page 136 - Olympism in Socialism

ages, and in the morning, the radio broadcasts
exercises for adults and children.
This mass character of Soviet sports is
producing fine results. The achievements of
Soviet sportsmen in various international
competitions are well known. The USSR made its
debut in the Olympic Summer Games in 1952 in
Helsinki. During their 25 years participation in
the Olympic movement, the Soviet sportsmen
have won 801 Olympic medals: 683 (including
258 gold) in the Summer Games. At the Munich
and Montreal Olympics, they bagged 97 gold
medals, more than any other squad.
But the Soviet Union does not consider the
grooming of champions and title-winners as its
main aim. The main task of sports here is to draw
into physical culture as many people as possible.
Even after their active sports career is over, the
Soviet athletes usually do not abandon sports but
work as coaches and instructors at schools and
higher educational establishments, training
skilled athletes.
The Soviet people have easy access to free
sports and training facilities, equipment and
medical services. All they have to do is become
members of one of the voluntary sports societies
organised on the basis of the professional
principle and open to all. Article 24 of the
Constitution declares that the state “encourages
the development of mass physical culture and
sport”.
New forms of involving people in mass-scale
sports are being constantly developed. Thus, till
quite recently special emphasis was laid on the
popularization of sports at factories, offices and
educational establishments, whereas now much
attention is paid to the development of physical
culture in residential neighborhoods. The designs

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