sports festival essay

Report Writing: Sports Day

Sports days are exciting events that bring together athletes, spectators, and the community to celebrate physical prowess and teamwork. As a reporter or student tasked with writing a report on a sports day, it’s essential to capture the spirit of the event and deliver an engaging and informative account. This article will provide a step-by-step guide on how to write an exceptional report that highlights the key moments, records, and achievements of the sports day.

Table of Contents

Preparing for the Report

Before the sports day begins, it’s crucial to gather all the necessary information and plan your approach. Here are some steps to follow:

• Familiarize yourself with the event: Understand the schedule, rules, and the sports included in the sports day. This will help you anticipate significant moments and focus on the most relevant aspects.
• Research the participants: Gather information about the participating teams, athletes, and coaches. Note any notable achievements, previous records, or interesting stories that can add depth to your report.
• Prepare your equipment: Ensure you have a reliable notepad, pen, camera, or any other equipment necessary to capture the essential details of the sports day.

Observing the Sports Day

During the sports day, focus on capturing the atmosphere, key events, and individual performances. Here’s how:

• Take notes: Jot down important details such as the venue, weather conditions, crowd size, and any standout moments that catch your attention. Note the order of events and record the results as they happen.
• Interview participants: Approach athletes, coaches, and spectators for post-event interviews. Ask about their experiences, challenges faced, and notable achievements. These interviews will provide valuable insights and quotes to include in your report.
• Capture the highlights: Use your camera or phone to take pictures or record videos of memorable moments, such as record-breaking performances, close finishes, or emotional celebrations.
• Pay attention to details: Describe the atmosphere, the emotions of the participants, and any unique elements of the sports day. Include anecdotes, quotes, and interesting observations that will make your report more engaging.

Structuring the Report

A well-structured report ensures that the information is organized and easy for readers to follow. Consider the following structure:

• Introduction: Begin with an engaging opening paragraph that sets the context and captures the essence of the sports day.
• Event summary: Provide a concise overview of the sports day, mentioning the date, venue, and the overall atmosphere.
• Main events: Describe the most significant events, such as marquee matches, record-breaking performances, and standout moments. Include details on the participants, their achievements, and any notable statistics.
• Individual performances: Highlight outstanding performances by individual athletes. Mention personal records, exceptional skills, and any inspiring stories related to their journey.
• Team performances: Discuss the performance of different teams, emphasizing the winners and any noteworthy team efforts or strategies.
• Quotes and interviews: Integrate quotes and interview snippets throughout the report to provide first-hand perspectives from athletes, coaches, and spectators.
• Conclusion: Summarize the sports day, highlighting its importance, impact, and any future implications. End with a concluding statement that leaves the reader with a lasting impression.

Editing and Finalizing

Once you have completed the initial draft of your report, it’s essential to review and refine it. Consider the following steps:

• Proofread for errors: Check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes. Ensure the report flows smoothly and is free of any factual inaccuracies.
• Enhance readability: Use clear and concise language. Break down long paragraphs into shorter ones, and use headings and subheadings to improve readability.
• Revise for coherence: Ensure that the report follows a logical sequence and that each section connects smoothly with the next.
• Add visual elements: Include relevant photographs or charts to support your narrative and make the report visually appealing.
• Seek feedback: Share your report with a colleague, teacher, or mentor to get valuable feedback. Incorporate their suggestions to enhance the quality of your report.

Sports Day Report Example #1

Introduction The annual sports day event, held on [date] at [venue], was a thrilling display of athleticism and sportsmanship. The day brought together talented athletes from various schools and showcased their skills across a wide range of sports. This report will provide a comprehensive overview of the event, highlighting noteworthy performances, standout moments, and the electric atmosphere that permeated throughout the day.

Event Summary The sports day commenced with an energetic opening ceremony, where participants and spectators alike were treated to a vibrant display of music and dance. The enthusiasm was palpable as the athletes geared up for a day of intense competition. The sprawling venue, adorned with colorful banners and flags, buzzed with anticipation.

Main Events The sports day featured a diverse range of events, including track and field, team sports, and individual challenges. The highlight of the event was undoubtedly the track events, where athletes showcased their speed, agility, and endurance. The 100-meter sprint witnessed a nail-biting finish, with [athlete name] clinching victory by the slimmest of margins. In the long jump, [athlete name] impressed spectators with a remarkable leap that shattered the previous school record.

Individual Performances Several athletes stood out for their exceptional performances. [Athlete name] exhibited remarkable skill and determination in the high jump, effortlessly clearing heights that left onlookers in awe. In the javelin throw, [athlete name] demonstrated impeccable technique and unleashed a throw that sailed through the air with incredible precision, securing a well-deserved gold medal.

Team Performances The team events were fiercely contested, with participants displaying exceptional teamwork and strategic prowess. The basketball tournament witnessed intense matches, culminating in a thrilling final between [team name] and [team name]. The players exhibited great sportsmanship and showcased their technical abilities, treating the crowd to a captivating display of skillful passes, precise shooting, and tight defense. In the end, [team name] emerged victorious, earning the admiration of their peers.

Quotes and Interviews Throughout the sports day, interviews with athletes, coaches, and spectators provided valuable insights into their experiences. [Athlete name] shared, “I’ve been training for months for this event, and it feels incredibly rewarding to see my hard work pay off.” Coach [name] expressed pride in their team’s performance, stating, “Our athletes have shown tremendous dedication and discipline, and I couldn’t be prouder of their achievements.”

Conclusion The sports day was a resounding success, celebrating the spirit of competition, camaraderie, and personal growth. It provided a platform for athletes to showcase their talent, break records, and inspire others with their achievements. The event left a lasting impression on participants and spectators alike, reminding everyone of the power of sports to bring people together and foster a sense of unity. With its electrifying atmosphere and unforgettable moments, the sports day marked a truly memorable occasion in the annals of sports history.

Sports Day Report Example #2

Introduction The highly anticipated sports day, held on [date] at [venue], was a vibrant celebration of athleticism and teamwork. This report aims to provide a detailed account of the event, highlighting the exhilarating performances, notable achievements, and the infectious energy that permeated throughout the day. From track and field events to team competitions, the sports day showcased the remarkable talent and dedication of the participants.

Event Summary The sports day kicked off with an electrifying opening ceremony, where teams paraded proudly, waving their flags and donning their colorful uniforms. The atmosphere was charged with excitement as athletes prepared to demonstrate their skills and compete for glory. The venue was a spectacle to behold, adorned with banners and filled with enthusiastic supporters.

Track and Field Events The track and field events captivated spectators with their display of speed, agility, and strength. The 100-meter sprint witnessed a thrilling showdown, with athletes pushing their limits to cross the finish line in record time. In the long jump, participants showcased their leaping abilities, as they soared through the air, aiming to achieve the greatest distance. The high jump event showcased the athletes’ vertical prowess, as they gracefully cleared daunting heights, leaving the crowd in awe.

Team Competitions The sports day also featured a range of team competitions, fostering camaraderie and collective effort. The soccer tournament showcased intense matches, with teams displaying remarkable skill, teamwork, and strategic play. The final match was a gripping affair, with both teams exhibiting tenacity and skill. In the end, [team name] emerged victorious, their players embracing in jubilation as they lifted the trophy.

Individual Performances Numerous athletes stood out for their exceptional performances. [Athlete name] left spectators speechless with their phenomenal display in the discus throw, effortlessly propelling the discus to remarkable distances. In the swimming events, [athlete name] showcased remarkable technique and speed, dominating their respective races and breaking previous records.

Quotes and Interviews Throughout the sports day, interviews with athletes, coaches, and spectators provided valuable insights into their experiences and emotions. [Athlete name] expressed their elation, saying, “I’ve dedicated countless hours to training, and it’s an incredible feeling to see my hard work pay off.” Coach [name] praised their team’s spirit, saying, “Our athletes have shown immense determination and resilience. They’ve trained tirelessly, and it’s rewarding to witness their growth.”

Conclusion The sports day was a resounding success, igniting passion and inspiring young athletes to pursue their sporting dreams. It showcased the incredible talent, discipline, and sportsmanship of the participants. The event exemplified the power of sports to unite communities and foster a sense of belonging. As the day came to a close, the resounding cheers and smiles on the faces of athletes and spectators reflected the collective joy and appreciation for the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement. The sports day will be remembered as a memorable occasion that celebrated athletic excellence and showcased the indomitable human spirit.

Sports Day Report Example #3

Introduction The recent sports day held on [date] at [venue] was an unforgettable event that brought together athletes, coaches, and spectators for a day filled with excitement and competitive spirit. This report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the sports day, highlighting the remarkable performances, memorable moments, and the unwavering sportsmanship displayed by all participants. From thrilling races to team competitions, the sports day embodied the true essence of athletic excellence and camaraderie.

Event Summary The sports day commenced with an inspiring opening ceremony, where teams paraded proudly, waving flags and displaying their team colors. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation as the athletes prepared to showcase their skills and compete for honors. The venue was a spectacle to behold, adorned with banners and filled with enthusiastic supporters, creating an electric atmosphere that set the stage for an extraordinary day of sports.

Track and Field Events The track and field events were the highlight of the sports day, captivating spectators with their grace, speed, and raw athleticism. The 100-meter dash witnessed fierce competition, with athletes demonstrating explosive speed and leaving the crowd in awe of their lightning-fast strides. The shot put event showcased incredible strength and technique as participants propelled heavy metal balls to impressive distances. The relay races were a sight to behold, as teams coordinated baton exchanges with precision, showcasing both individual speed and seamless teamwork.

Team Competitions The sports day also featured a range of team competitions that demonstrated the power of collaboration and unity. The basketball tournament was fiercely contested, with teams displaying remarkable skill, strategic play, and unwavering determination. The final match was a thrilling display of teamwork and resilience, with players exhibiting exceptional ball handling, accurate shooting, and tenacious defense. The winning team celebrated their victory with great joy and sportsmanship, acknowledging the efforts of their opponents.

Individual Achievements Several athletes stood out for their exceptional performances and personal achievements. [Athlete name] demonstrated extraordinary agility and technique in the high jump, clearing impressive heights and setting a new school record. In the swimming events, [athlete name] showcased remarkable speed and endurance, leaving competitors trailing behind and earning multiple gold medals.

Quotes and Interviews Throughout the sports day, interviews with athletes, coaches, and spectators provided valuable insights into their experiences and emotions. [Athlete name] shared their passion, saying, “Sports day is a culmination of months of hard work and training. It’s a chance to push ourselves to the limit and celebrate our achievements.” Coach [name] emphasized the importance of sportsmanship, stating, “What matters most is not just winning, but also how we compete with integrity and respect for our opponents. That’s the true spirit of sports.”

Conclusion The sports day was an extraordinary celebration of athleticism, perseverance, and sportsmanship. It united athletes, coaches, and spectators in a shared passion for sports and provided a platform for individuals to showcase their talent and dedication. The event demonstrated the power of sports to inspire, unite, and foster personal growth. As the day drew to a close, the cheers and applause echoed throughout the venue, a testament to the indelible memories created and the lasting impact of the sports day. It will be remembered as a remarkable occasion that celebrated the triumph of the human spirit and the joy of competition.

Final Thoughts

Writing a report on a sports day requires careful planning, observation, and effective storytelling. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can create a comprehensive report that captures the essence of the event and engages your readers. Remember to highlight the key moments, individual performances, team efforts, and overall atmosphere to provide an accurate and captivating account of the sports day. With practice and attention to detail, you can become proficient in writing remarkable sports reports.

About Mr. Greg

Mr. Greg is an English teacher from Edinburgh, Scotland, currently based in Hong Kong. He has over 5 years teaching experience and recently completed his PGCE at the University of Essex Online. In 2013, he graduated from Edinburgh Napier University with a BEng(Hons) in Computing, with a focus on social media.

Mr. Greg’s English Cloud was created in 2020 during the pandemic, aiming to provide students and parents with resources to help facilitate their learning at home.

Whatsapp: +85259609792

[email protected]

English Compositions

Report Writing on Annual Sports Day Celebration in Your School [2023]

In this article, you will learn how to write a report on the annual sports day celebration of your school or college.

Example 1 [Magazine Report]

ANNUAL SPORTS DAY AT THE SCHOOL

By Suprity Acharyya

This week’s annual sports day was conducted in our school. It was going to be a huge program of the year. The chief guest was an ex-student of our school who has achieved Padma Shri and is settled in New York.

All the students were very much excited after all this was the time to enjoy beyond the studies. All have been selected for different events and started practising and making them well and fit for the day.

All the students have taken part in those games which are their strengths as well as the game that they like. The students were already divided into different houses, like Gandhi house, Nehru House, Shivaji house, and Tagore house.

Every house had different colours according to that students were provided t-shirts and flowers. On the day of the event, the chief guest came and inaugurated the program then the students started to warm up and volunteers started to set up the ground, ball, scoreboard, and other things. 

Then the sports events started athletic where the first event students started to do 100mtr, 200mtr, and 400mtr races. Then the relay race was organised, and the shuttle race was also there.

Then in throwing events, discus and shotput were organised. Some students fell down while running for the medical team and a different shed was set up where they got the treatment.

Then cricket and football were organised on the biggest ground of the school chief guest was taken there and then students started playing due to scarcity of time the innings was only four overs.

Basketball was the most interesting event of the day. Indoor games were also played and winners were decided. After that prize distribution was held position holders have given medals certificates as well as a gift too. Rest everyone received participation and volunteering certificates from the chief guest.

Example 2 [Magazine Report]

IT’S TIME FOR SPORTS

By Supriyo Acharyya

It was a cool sunny morning, and it was the day of the annual sports meet in the school. All the students were getting warmed up and making themselves games ready. My school has many potential and great people who are very good at sports.

They all have participated in many different games and as it was the annual sports meet so non-sports persons were also taking part very enthusiastically. That morning after the assembly one by one all the events got started.

On the biggest ground cricket matches and football matches were held and on the other two grounds, the rest of the events were organised. In the basketball, stadium basketball was played.

The students were already divided into four groups, namely A, B, C, and D. All the students started to compete with each other and the battle of winning and losing was set up. In the cricket match for the boys’ team, team B won the tournament by 18 runs, whereas in the girl’s team, Team D won the match by 2 wickets. 

The football match was the most interesting one, in fact in the middle of one match it started raining and all the students enjoyed it a lot. Indoor games were a lot of fun carrom, chess, pool, table tennis, and even ludo was there on students demand it was really fun.

Then volleyball was played and I must say that my school is having the best players in the whole area. Athletics was also a very competitive game. It included 100mtr, 200mtr, and 600mtr running, relay race, shuttle race, three leg race, javelin throw, shot put throw, discus throw, Kho-Kho, kabaddi and long jump, high jump and many more. At the end of the day, all the winners were awarded a Medal and certificates, by the principal and chief guest.

Example 3 [Magazine Report]

A HAPPENING SPORTS DAY OF SODEPUR HIGH SCHOOL

Like every year, this year also the renowned Sodepur high school has organized their annual sports day with grand splendour. On the 20th of January, the annual sports day was scheduled in the field of Amravati like any other year.

Students were instructed to be present on the school premises on or before 9 am. in the morning. From there all the teachers and students went together to the organized sports field. Several common athletic games like racing, high & long jump, musical chair, go as you like etc were on the list of scheduled competitions.

As almost every student of the school participated in sports, the whole competition went longer than in other years. In every game, there were 4 sets of batches and in each batch 15 students took part. It was almost 3 pm when the whole competition process came to an end.

Thereafter the final result and names of awardees were announced by the headmaster. This year the local M.L.A was present as a chief guest of Sodepur High School.

After the headmaster announced the final result, the chief guest was invited to come on stage and hand over the awards to the winners.

After award distribution, the honourable MLA delivered a short speech to students explaining the significance of sports in students’ life. Thus a joyful day came to an end and everyone returned with a heart full of memories. 

Example 4 [Magazine Report]

ANNUAL SPORTS CEREMONY OF MAULANA AZAD COLLEGE

The annual sports ceremony is more like a festival at Maulana Azad College. Just like all other years, the annual sports event was organised by the college authority. The date for the event was scheduled from December 21st to 23rd.

The college sports organising body chose the Kolkata Maidan as a venue. Basically, Maulana Azad college celebrates its sports event with many types of activities other than only common typical games. At the opening ceremony on the 21st of December, a splendid cultural function took place.

A stage was already constructed to serve the purposes like award distribution, cultural function, speeches of different people, direction to the participants etc. After the cultural function, all games and the names of respective participants were announced.

Then the college principal delivered a short speech about the college’s heritage of this sports day. The first day went like this followed by a simple singing competition after the speech.

On the second day, the full-fledged sports started. Several athletic games like long jump, high jump, 500 meters racing as well as a table tennis competition etc were on the long list of sports.

Five chief instructors were appointed for managing the whole ceremony. Apart from that many volunteers from the college union were also there to help out any participants who facing any issues in the field. The third day was scheduled for prize distribution and senior’s farewell.

Names of the winners were announced and the honourable mayor of Kolkata was invited as a chief guest to distribute prizes to the awardees. Finally, within a hearty ceremony of seniors’ farewell, the annual sports event came to an end. 

Example 5 [Newspaper Report]

A PLAYFUL SPORTS DAY CELEBRATION IN MURALIDHAR GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL

February 3; Muralidhar Girls’ High School: Like all other years annual sports day was organized in the Muralidhar Girls’ High School. February 2nd was chosen as the day of annual sports.

This year the annual sports day was to take place in the Eden Gardens area. But due to some circumstantial issues the venue was shifted to Bidhannagar Central Park.

That’s why no stage could be constructed in a short period of time. On the sports day, February 2nd, the headmistress explained the whole issue to all the teachers and guardians.

The speech of the headmistress was followed by the opening of the sports ceremony. Common simple games like musical chair, 100-meter racing, a singing competition etc. took place. After that at about 2:30 in the afternoon when all games ended, fruits and cakes were distributed among all the students.

An all-time security guard was present to ensure the security of the students. At around 3 pm names of the winners were announced and awards were distributed.

The topper was honoured with a medal and the runner was awarded a beautiful school trophy. At the very end, the honourable headmistress promised the next annual sports event to be much more joyous and well organised.

Example 6 [Newspaper Paper]

AN UNFORTUNATE EVENT OCCURRED ON THE ANNUAL SPORTS DAY OF CITY PEOPLE’S INSTITUTION

January 18; City People’s Institution: A very unfortunate event occurred during the annual sports day of City People’s Institution. Like all other years, an annual sports event was organized by the reputed school of Kolkata.

The date was fixed for the 17th of January and the Kolkata Maidan was declared the venue of the sports ceremony. As per the school’s instruction, all the students were present on the school premises on or before 9 am.

From there ten buses were arranged to reach the venue. All arrangements like constructing the stage, and preparing the field for the annual sports day were already done in maidan by the sports management authority of the school.

The buses left the school at around 9:30 in the morning carrying 548 students and 43 teachers. They reached the venue at around 10:15 according to a senior official of the school.

Reaching there, the headmaster delivered his short speech explaining the whole day’s agenda and competitions. According to that official, the first game, 200 meters racing was about to start.

Then suddenly the chief sports instructor of the school felt unwell and eventually collapsed on the field. He was immediately taken to the nearest hospital and admitted to ICU where he fell to death after a certain time. The family of the teacher was informed.

Doctors are considering a massive heart attack as the cause of death. This year the sports event was cancelled by the school at that time. All the teachers and students returned shocked and with empty hearts. 

Did You Find This Article Helpful?

So there you have it, report writing on the annual sports day celebration of your school/college.

Now I would like to ask you a few questions. How was this article? Did this help you to learn something new? Would you like to share this with your friends?

Moreover, if you have any topic ideas, that you like me to cover for you, do let me know in the comment section.

I would definitely try to cover those as well.

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How to Write a Non-Cliche College Essay About Sports + Examples

What’s covered:, what makes a sports essay cliche.

• How To Make Your Sports Essay Unique

Great Examples of College Essays About Sports

Where to get your college essay edited for free, or by an expert.

You’ve been brainstorming essay topics for your college applications, and you think you’ve finally found the right one: an extended metaphor likening your experience on the field with overcoming personal struggles. The problem: many other students have this same thought. 

The purpose of a college essay is to make yourself stand out as a unique individual, but when students write about sports, they often blend in. Because of that, students are usually advised to pick a different topic.

That being said, it is possible to write a non-cliche college essay about sports if you put in a little extra effort. Read along to learn how to make your sports essay different from all the other sports essays.

Sports essays are cliche when they follow a standard trajectory. Some of these trajectories include writing a story about:

• An agonizing defeat
• Forging bonds with teammates
• Overcoming adversity
• Overcoming an injury
• Refusing to quit
• Victory during a big game

Because sports essays have very similar themes and “lessons learned,” it can be difficult to make your story stand out. These trajectories also often focus too much on the sport or storyline, and not enough on the writer’s reflections and personality.

As you write your essay, try to think about what your experience says about you rather than what you learned from your experience. You are more than just one lesson you learned!

(Keep in mind that the sports essay is not the only college essay cliche. Learn about other essay cliches and how to fix them in our complete guide).

How to Make Your Sports Essay Unique

1. focus on a specific moment or reflection..

The college essay is a way for students to humanize themselves to admissions officers. You do not feel human if you are describing yourself as just another player on the field!

One important way to make your essay about you (not just about sports) is by focusing on a specific moment in time and inviting the reader to join you in that moment. Explain to the reader what it would be like to be sitting in that locker room as you questioned the values of the other players on your team. Ask your reader to sit with you on the cot in the trainer’s room as your identity was stripped away from you when they said “your body can’t take this anymore.” Bring your reader to the dinner table and involve them in your family’s conversation about how sports were affecting your mental health and your treatment of those around you.

Intense descriptions of a specific experience will evoke emotions in your reader and allow them to connect with you and feel for you.

When in doubt, avoid anything that can be covered by ESPN. On ESPN, we see the games, we see the benches, we even see the locker rooms and training rooms. Take your reader somewhere different and show them something unique.

2. Use sports to point out broader themes in your life.

The main risk when writing about sports is neglecting to write about yourself. Before you get started, think about the main values that you want to express in your sports essay. Sports are simply your avenue for telling the reader what makes you unique. 

As a test, imagine if you were a pianist. Would you be able to talk about these same values? What if you were a writer? Or a chemist? Articulating your values is the end, and sports should simply be your means.

Some values that you might want to focus on:

• Autonomy (you want to be able to set your mind to anything and achieve it on your own)
• Growth (you seek improvement constantly)
• Curiosity (you are willing to try anything once)
• Vulnerability (you aren’t afraid to fail, as long as you give it your all)
• Community (you value the feedback of others and need camaraderie to succeed)
• Craft (you think that with deliberate care, anything can be perfected)
• Responsibility (you believe that you owe something to those around you and perhaps they also owe something to you)

You can use the ESPN check again to make sure that you are using sports as an avenue to show your depth.

Things ESPN covers: how a player reacts to defeat, how injuries affect a player’s gameplay/attitude, how players who don’t normally work well together are working together on their new team.

Things ESPN doesn’t cover: the conversation that a player had with their mother about fear of death before going into a big surgery (value: family and connection), the ways that the intense pressure to succeed consumed a player to the point they couldn’t be there for the people in their life (value: supporting others and community), the body image issues that weigh on a player’s mind when playing their sport and how they overcame those (value: health and growth).

3. Turn a cliche storyline on its head.

There’s no getting around the fact that sports essays are often cliche. But there is a way to confront the cliche head-on. For example, lots of people write essays about the lessons they learned from an injury, victory, and so on, but fewer students explain how they are embracing those lessons. 

Perhaps you learned that competition is overwhelming for you and you prefer teamwork, so you switched from playing basketball to playing Dungeons & Dragons. Maybe, when your softball career ended abruptly, you had to find a new identity and that’s when you became obsessed with your flower garden and decided to pursue botany. Or maybe, you have stuck with football through it all, but your junior-year mental health struggle showed you that football should be fun and you have since started a nonprofit for local children to healthily engage with sports.

If your story itself is more cliche, try bringing readers to the present moment with you and show why the cliche matters and what it did for you. This requires a fair amount of creativity. Ensure you’re not parroting a frequently used topic by really thinking deeply to find your own unique spin.

Night had robbed the academy of its daytime colors, yet there was comfort in the dim lights that cast shadows of our advances against the bare studio walls. Silhouettes of roundhouse kicks, spin crescent kicks, uppercuts and the occasional butterfly kick danced while we sparred. She approached me, eyes narrowed with the trace of a smirk challenging me. “Ready spar!” Her arm began an upward trajectory targeting my shoulder, a common first move. I sidestepped — only to almost collide with another flying fist. Pivoting my right foot, I snapped my left leg, aiming my heel at her midsection. The center judge raised one finger. 

There was no time to celebrate, not in the traditional sense at least. Master Pollard gave a brief command greeted with a unanimous “Yes, sir” and the thud of 20 hands dropping-down-and-giving-him-30, while the “winners” celebrated their victory with laps as usual. 

Three years ago, seven-thirty in the evening meant I was a warrior. It meant standing up straighter, pushing a little harder, “Yes, sir” and “Yes, ma’am”, celebrating birthdays by breaking boards, never pointing your toes, and familiarity. Three years later, seven-thirty in the morning meant I was nervous. 

The room is uncomfortably large. The sprung floor soaks up the checkerboard of sunlight piercing through the colonial windows. The mirrored walls further illuminate the studio and I feel the light scrutinizing my sorry attempts at a pas de bourrée, while capturing the organic fluidity of the dancers around me. “Chassé en croix, grand battement, pique, pirouette.” I follow the graceful limbs of the woman in front of me, her legs floating ribbons, as she executes what seems to be a perfect ronds de jambes. Each movement remains a negotiation. With admirable patience, Ms. Tan casts me a sympathetic glance.   

There is no time to wallow in the misery that is my right foot. Taekwondo calls for dorsiflexion; pointed toes are synonymous with broken toes. My thoughts drag me into a flashback of the usual response to this painful mistake: “You might as well grab a tutu and head to the ballet studio next door.” Well, here I am Master Pollard, unfortunately still following your orders to never point my toes, but no longer feeling the satisfaction that comes with being a third degree black belt with 5 years of experience quite literally under her belt. It’s like being a white belt again — just in a leotard and ballet slippers. 

But the appetite for new beginnings that brought me here doesn’t falter. It is only reinforced by the classical rendition of “Dancing Queen” that floods the room and the ghost of familiarity that reassures me that this new beginning does not and will not erase the past. After years spent at the top, it’s hard to start over. But surrendering what you are only leads you to what you may become. In Taekwondo, we started each class reciting the tenets: honor, courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, courage, humility, and knowledge, and I have never felt that I embodied those traits more so than when I started ballet. 

The thing about change is that it eventually stops making things so different. After nine different schools, four different countries, three different continents, fluency in Tamil, Norwegian, and English, there are more blurred lines than there are clear fragments. My life has not been a tactfully executed, gold medal-worthy Taekwondo form with each movement defined, nor has it been a series of frappés performed by a prima ballerina with each extension identical and precise, but thankfully it has been like the dynamics of a spinning back kick, fluid, and like my chances of landing a pirouette, unpredictable. 

Why it works:

What’s especially powerful about this essay is that the author uses detailed imagery to convey a picture of what they’re experiencing, so much so that the reader is along for the ride. This works as a sports essay not only because of the language and sensory details, but also because the writer focuses on a specific moment in time, while at the same time exploring why Taekwondo is such an important part of their life.

After the emotional image is created, the student finishes their essay with valuable reflection. With the reflection, they show admissions officers that they are mature and self-aware. Self-awareness comes through with statements like “surrendering what you are only leads you to what you may become” and maturity can be seen through the student’s discussion of values “honor, courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, courage, humility, and knowledge, and I have never felt that I embodied those traits more so than when I started ballet.” These are the kinds of comments that should find their way into a sports essay!

“Advanced females ages 13 to 14 please proceed to staging with your coaches at this time.” Skittering around the room, eyes wide and pleading, I frantically explained my situation to nearby coaches. The seconds ticked away in my head; every polite refusal increased my desperation.

Despair weighed me down. I sank to my knees as a stream of competitors, coaches, and officials flowed around me. My dojang had no coach, and the tournament rules prohibited me from competing without one.

Although I wanted to remain strong, doubts began to cloud my mind. I could not help wondering: what was the point of perfecting my skills if I would never even compete? The other members of my team, who had found coaches minutes earlier, attempted to comfort me, but I barely heard their words. They couldn’t understand my despair at being left on the outside, and I never wanted them to understand.

Since my first lesson 12 years ago, the members of my dojang have become family. I have watched them grow up, finding my own happiness in theirs. Together, we have honed our kicks, blocks, and strikes. We have pushed one another to aim higher and become better martial artists. Although my dojang had searched for a reliable coach for years, we had not found one. When we attended competitions in the past, my teammates and I had always gotten lucky and found a sympathetic coach. Now, I knew this practice was unsustainable. It would devastate me to see the other members of my dojang in my situation, unable to compete and losing hope as a result. My dojang needed a coach, and I decided it was up to me to find one. 

I first approached the adults in the dojang – both instructors and members’ parents. However, these attempts only reacquainted me with polite refusals. Everyone I asked told me they couldn’t devote multiple weekends per year to competitions. I soon realized that I would have become the coach myself.

At first, the inner workings of tournaments were a mystery to me. To prepare myself for success as a coach, I spent the next year as an official and took coaching classes on the side. I learned everything from motivational strategies to technical, behind-the-scenes components of Taekwondo competitions. Though I emerged with new knowledge and confidence in my capabilities, others did not share this faith.

Parents threw me disbelieving looks when they learned that their children’s coach was only a child herself. My self-confidence was my armor, deflecting their surly glances. Every armor is penetrable, however, and as the relentless barrage of doubts pounded my resilience, it began to wear down. I grew unsure of my own abilities.

Despite the attack, I refused to give up. When I saw the shining eyes of the youngest students preparing for their first competition, I knew I couldn’t let them down. To quit would be to set them up to be barred from competing like I was. The knowledge that I could solve my dojang’s longtime problem motivated me to overcome my apprehension.

Now that my dojang flourishes at competitions, the attacks on me have weakened, but not ended. I may never win the approval of every parent; at times, I am still tormented by doubts, but I find solace in the fact that members of my dojang now only worry about competing to the best of their abilities.

Now, as I arrive at a tournament with my students, I close my eyes and remember the past. I visualize the frantic search for a coach and the chaos amongst my teammates as we compete with one another to find coaches before the staging calls for our respective divisions. I open my eyes to the exact opposite scene. Lacking a coach hurt my ability to compete, but I am proud to know that no member of my dojang will have to face that problem again.

In the beginning, you might think this is another cliche sports essay about overcoming adversity. But instead, it becomes a unique statement and coming-of-age tale that reads as a suspenseful narrative. 

The author connects their experience with martial arts to larger themes in their life but manages to do so without riffing off of tried-and-true themes. Through statements like “I knew I couldn’t let them down. To quit would be to set them up to be barred from competing like I was” we learn about the students values and their desire to be there for those who depend on them. 

The student also brings it full circle, demonstrating their true transformation. By using the “Same, but Different” ending technique , the student places themself in the same environment that we saw in the intro, but experiences it differently due to their actions throughout the narrative. This is very compelling!

“1…2…3…4 pirouettes! New record!” My friends cheered as I landed my turns. Pleased with my progress, I gazed down at my worn-out pointe shoes. The sweltering blisters, numbing ice-baths, and draining late-night practices did not seem so bad after all. Next goal: five turns.

For as long as I can remember, ballet, in all its finesse and glamor, had kept me driven day to day. As a child, the lithe ballerinas, donning ethereal costumes as they floated across the stage, were my motivation. While others admired Messi and Adele, I idolized Carlos Acosta, principal dancer of the Royal Ballet. 

As I devoted more time and energy towards my craft, I became obsessed with improving my technique. I would stretch for hours after class, forcing my leg one inch higher in an effort to mirror the Dance Magazine cover girls. I injured my feet and ruined pair after pair of pointe shoes, turning on wood, cement, and even grass to improve my balance as I spun. At competitions, the dancers with the 180-degree leg extensions, endless turns, and soaring leaps—the ones who received “Bravos!” from the roaring audience—further pushed me to refine my skills and perfect my form. I believed that, with enough determination, I would one day attain their level of perfection. Reaching the quadruple-pirouette milestone only intensified my desire to accomplish even more. 

My efforts seemed to have come to fruition two summers ago when I was accepted to dance with Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet at their renowned New York City summer intensive. I walked into my first session eager to learn from distinguished ballet masters and worldly dancers, already anticipating my improvement. Yet, as I danced alongside the accomplished ballerinas, I felt out of place. Despite their clean technique and professional training, they did not aim for glorious leg extensions or prodigious leaps. When they performed their turn combinations, most of them only executed two turns as I attempted four. 

“Dancers, double-pirouettes only.” 

Taken aback and confused, I wondered why our teacher expected so little from us. The other ballerinas seemed content, gracing the studio with their simple movements. 

As I grew closer with my Moscow roommates, I gradually learned that their training emphasized the history of the art form instead of stylistic tricks. Rather than show off their physical ability, their performances aimed to convey a story, one that embodied the rich culture of ballet and captured both the legacy of the dancers before them and their own artistry. As I observed my friends more intently in repertoire class, I felt the pain of the grief-stricken white swan from Swan Lake, the sass of the flirtatious Kitri from Don Quijote, and I gradually saw what I had overlooked before. My definition of talent had been molded by crowd-pleasing elements—whirring pirouettes, gravity-defying leaps, and mind-blowing leg extensions. This mindset slowly stripped me from the roots of my passion and my personal connection with ballet. 

With the Bolshoi, I learned to step back and explore the meaning behind each step and the people behind the scenes. Ballet carries history in its movements, from the societal values of the era to each choreographer’s unique flair. As I uncovered the messages behind each pirouette, kick, and jump, my appreciation for ballet grew beyond my obsession with raw athleticism and developed into a love for the art form’s emotive abilities in bridging the dancers with the audience. My journey as an artist has allowed me to see how technical execution is only the means to a greater understanding between dancer and spectator, between storyteller and listener. The elegance and complexity of ballet does not revolve around astonishing stunts but rather the evocative strength and artistry manifested in the dancer, in me. It is the combination of sentiments, history, tradition, and passion that has allowed ballet and its lessons of human connection to become my lifestyle both on and off stage.

This essay is about lessons. While the author is a dancer, this narrative isn’t really about ballet, per se — it’s about the author’s personal growth. It is purposefully reflective as the student shows a nice character arc that begins with an eager young ballerina and ends with a reflection on their past. The primary strength of this essay is the honesty and authenticity that the student approaches it with.

In the end, the student turns a cliche on its head as they embrace the idea of overcoming adversity and demonstrate how the adversity, in this case, was their own stereotypes about their art. It’s beautiful!

“Getting beat is one thing – it’s part of competing – but I want no part in losing.” Coach Rob Stark’s motto never fails to remind me of his encouragement on early-morning bus rides to track meets around the state. I’ve always appreciated the phrase, but an experience last June helped me understand its more profound, universal meaning.

Stark, as we affectionately call him, has coached track at my high school for 25 years. His care, dedication, and emphasis on developing good character has left an enduring impact on me and hundreds of other students. Not only did he help me discover my talent and love for running, but he also taught me the importance of commitment and discipline and to approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running. When I learned a neighboring high school had dedicated their track to a longtime coach, I felt that Stark deserved similar honors.

Our school district’s board of education indicated they would only dedicate our track to Stark if I could demonstrate that he was extraordinary. I took charge and mobilized my teammates to distribute petitions, reach out to alumni, and compile statistics on the many team and individual champions Stark had coached over the years. We received astounding support, collecting almost 3,000 signatures and pages of endorsements from across the community. With help from my teammates, I presented this evidence to the board.

They didn’t bite. 

Most members argued that dedicating the track was a low priority. Knowing that we had to act quickly to convince them of its importance, I called a team meeting where we drafted a rebuttal for the next board meeting. To my surprise, they chose me to deliver it. I was far from the best public speaker in the group, and I felt nervous about going before the unsympathetic board again. However, at that second meeting, I discovered that I enjoy articulating and arguing for something that I’m passionate about.

Public speaking resembles a cross country race. Walking to the starting line, you have to trust your training and quell your last minute doubts. When the gun fires, you can’t think too hard about anything; your performance has to be instinctual, natural, even relaxed. At the next board meeting, the podium was my starting line. As I walked up to it, familiar butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Instead of the track stretching out in front of me, I faced the vast audience of teachers, board members, and my teammates. I felt my adrenaline build, and reassured myself: I’ve put in the work, my argument is powerful and sound. As the board president told me to introduce myself, I heard, “runners set” in the back of my mind. She finished speaking, and Bang! The brief silence was the gunshot for me to begin. 

The next few minutes blurred together, but when the dust settled, I knew from the board members’ expressions and the audience’s thunderous approval that I had run quite a race. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough; the board voted down our proposal. I was disappointed, but proud of myself, my team, and our collaboration off the track. We stood up for a cause we believed in, and I overcame my worries about being a leader. Although I discovered that changing the status quo through an elected body can be a painstakingly difficult process and requires perseverance, I learned that I enjoy the challenges this effort offers. Last month, one of the school board members joked that I had become a “regular” – I now often show up to meetings to advocate for a variety of causes, including better environmental practices in cafeterias and safer equipment for athletes.

Just as Stark taught me, I worked passionately to achieve my goal. I may have been beaten when I appealed to the board, but I certainly didn’t lose, and that would have made Stark proud.

This essay uses the idea of sports to explore a more profound topic—growing through relationships. They really embrace using sports as an avenue to tell the reader about a specific experience that changed the way they approach the world. 

The emphasis on relationships is why this essay works well and doesn’t fall into a cliche. The narrator grows not because of their experience with track but because of their relationship with their coach, who inspired them to evolve and become a leader.

Have a draft of your college essay? We’re here to help you polish it. Students can participate in a free Peer Review, or they can sign up for a paid review by CollegeVine’s experts. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to start improving your essay and your chances of acceptance!

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Free Sports Culture Essay Examples & Topics

Have you ever wondered what sports culture is? Let’s figure it out together!

Sports culture is the attitude developed by an individual, a group of people, or society towards sports. This includes emotional response, knowledge, personal interest, etc. Social institutions dedicated to sports activities can also be considered part of the culture.

The societal background of a country plays an essential role in defining sports culture . For example, various cultures have different standards connected to the age and gender of the athletes. That is to say, in some areas, men and women contribute equally to the dynamics of this activity. In others, female athletes might have less or no impact on national sports development due to certain restrictions.

If you need to write a sports and culture essay, this article is here to help you out. Our experts brought together a list of original ideas for your work. You will also find some samples written by other students on the page. Yet, we shall begin by analyzing a few examples for your essay about sports culture.

Sports Culture Examples from around the World

When you are writing a sports culture essay, it is easy to get lost among all the choices. After all, each country has its particular approach to every sport. However, some areas take it more seriously than others.

Over here, we have described sports culture examples from around the world:

American Football

Sports are a crucial part of the American culture, holding both social and economic value. The game that has conquered the hearts of millions of US citizens is American football. Cheering for a preferred team over a plate of nachos is an important ritual for some devoted fans. In fact, the culture around American football is so potent that an unofficial holiday formed around this game – the Super Bowl Sunday.

English Soccer

Known simply as football in the UK (or footy , if you prefer to use the jargon), this sport holds a particular cultural significance. Newspaper headlines announce the latest scores, and TVs in crowded pubs will play reruns of the games. Support for a specific team is sometimes passed down in a family, like an heirloom. The English revel in the rivalry and get quite hotheaded during Premier League season.

Canadian Ice Hockey

Canadians are proud to call ice hockey their national winter sport and consider Canada its birthplace. The media covers games all year round, as there are both outdoor and indoor rinks in every major city. A hockey scene is even featured on the Canadian five-dollar bill. Most citizens would agree that ice hockey is their greatest national sporting achievement.

Indian Cricket

India has a diverse collection of all possible cultures and religions. What unites them all together is cricket. There is a devout following of the game amongst fans, who lovingly call their national team ‘the Men in Blue.’ It is part of the Indian culture for people to schedule their daily arrangements around the cricket timetable. Young children play this sport in the streets while their parents continuously update news sites for the latest scores.

Japanese Baseball

What may come as a surprise to some is that in Japan, one of the most popular sports nowadays is baseball. Typically considered an American game, this activity became a beloved pastime of most Japanese citizens. Yet, there are major differences in the cultures concerning this sport. For example, in Japan, the spotlight falls not on the players but rather on the team manager.

15 Great Sports and Culture Topics

Plenty of sport culture examples from around the world can become the basis of an excellent paper. Choosing a topic can seem intimidating. Luckily, we’ll help you decide in the section below. Here, we collected sports and culture topics that you can use for practice and writing an original paper. And if you feel that you need more ideas, try our title generator .

• Sport as an extracurricular activity for children. What qualities does it develop in kids?
• Indian culture and the input of women in sports.
• How sport affects global culture: trends, statistics, examples.
• The relationship between sports and culture in Canada.
• The process behind the creation of sports slogans: an investigative essay.
• Pick two ethnic groups. What are the similarities and differences in attitude towards sports between them?
• Cultural diversity during the world championships. Obstacles that might appear when sportsmen from all over the globe gather in one place.
• The importance of sports in society: its influence on the cultural diffusion between different nations.
• What are the core values that sports team members are supposed to carry?
• Football vs. soccer: is the name the only thing that differs?
• Does sportsmanship matter? The role of sports in society and its influence on cultural development.
• Post-injury rehabilitation: overcoming psychological pressure and maintaining mental and physical health.
• The fundamental sports management rules for youth sports leagues.
• Baseball as a traditional sport in the UK: its origin and development history.
• A balanced diet and proper sleep as key factors to a sportsman’s success.

Thank you for your attention! You can now move on to the essays on sports and culture below. To go through them faster, you can use our summary generator .

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Original research article, sport at the world festival of youth and students: between olympic ideals and socialist internationalism.

• Faculté de Sciences Sociales et Politiques, Institute of Sports science, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

During the first decade of the Cold War, the communist-sponsored World Festivals of Youth and Students included a program of international sports events that provided elite athletes with a self-standing arena of international competition. They also encouraged mass participation in sports, without social, racial, or political discrimination, thereby implicitly questioning elitism in sport. The present paper argues that through the World Festivals of Youth and Students, the Soviet Union harnessed the universal language of sport as a tool of cultural diplomacy with which to expand develop an international socialist sports youth network. The Festival sporting events represented an alternative model of international sport, run in parallel to the Olympics, whose ideals of peace, friendship, and mutual understanding they shared.

Introduction

“Regardless of the size of the teams, whether they have won or not, the athletes form a big family under the Olympic motto: ‘Friendship between athletes strengthens the friendship of peoples 1 .”’ Although these lines could be mistaken for an extract from Pierre de Coubertin's writings, they actually had a very different origin. In fact, they summarized the Soviet sport ideology underlying the new concept of international sports competitions the Soviet Union created Olympics in the early Cold War. The Festival and its associated sporting events, both of which fit the definition of a “mega-event 2 ,” pursued an original set of goals that combined the aims of Soviet cultural diplomacy and Coubertin's Olympic ideal. The present study examines to which extent the Festival's sports competitions can be considered an alternative platform for sports internationalism driven by Moscow during the Cold War.

Sports were a major component of the World Festival of Youth and Students (hereinafter referred to as “the Festival”), which was launched in 1947 and hosted by a different Eastern European capital city in the summer of odd-numbered years. Bringing together thousands of young people, they were initially conceived as a forum for promoting cultural exchanges and mutual understanding, but quickly became a tool of Stalinist propaganda abroad. The program included cultural, political, and educational events, as well as international sports events. It was drawn up at by an International Preparatory Committee under the coordination of Komsomol and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union 3 . In terms of their ceremonies, number of participants, and sports, the sports events were comparable to the Olympics, whose ideals they claimed to share, while advertising the achievements of the socialist system.

This paper examines the elite and grassroots sports events held as part of the Festival between 1947 and 1957. Grassroots sports events were held both before (“in honor”) and during the Festival. The elite-level competitions were the X and XI World University Games, hosted by Budapest (1949) and East Berlin (1951), respectively, and the I-III International Friendly Youth Sports Games, hosted by Bucharest (1953), Warsaw (1955), and Moscow (1957). Although the elite-level events were run by two communist-sponsored organizations founded immediately after World War II–the International Union of Students (IUS) and World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY)–, they had different origins. The World University Games were rooted in the French universalism of the early 1920s and were open only to students, whereas the Friendly Games were launched as part of the Festival in order to offer all young athletes, whether or not they were students, an opportunity to do sports without social, political, or racial discrimination. The Festival's sports events aimed at democratizing sport and were strongly tailored to the Soviet Union's cultural diplomacy purposes, enabling it not only to promote the regime, but especially to create a new arena for sports socialist internationalism 4 . They actually illustrated of how two rival socioeconomic models promoted their universalisms and internationalisms on a global scale with an important participation of the Third World 5 . These events also helped to defend “sports universalism in front of the social division 6 .”

According to Koivunen (2013) , the aim of the Festival's organizers was “to conquer a field that still did not have a dominant leader or patron: youth 7 .” In other words, it was to occupy the domain of youth sports, which had not yet been appropriated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the international sport federations, rather than to become a rival to the IOC 8 . Koivunen's pioneering research, based on large volumes of material from Soviet archives, examines the Festival as an instrument of Soviet cultural diplomacy and is a key reference for the present study. In the context of the present study, her thesis' title, “Performing peace and friendship,” takes on a double meaning, in that “performance” may also be considered to refer to sporting achievements. Koivunen borrowed Caute's (2003) concept of “Cultural Olympics 9 ,” in which sports were an important soft power tool in the Cold War competition between the great powers. She also referred to Keys (2006) , who pointed out the strong similarities between the Festival and the Olympics, most notably their ceremonial aspects, their regular and recurrent nature, and their “universalism going beyond nationalism 10 .” Second, she emphasized the Festival's link with both the mass cultural events of the 1930s and the World Fairs, which were created to highlight modernity and traditions 11 . I apply the term “cultural diplomacy” in harmony with the works of Koivunen's who considers it better adapted to the idea of cultural exchange. Gillabert confirms of “cultural diplomacy” in more linked to the cultural policy and the actors of the cultural field,” while “public diplomacy” corresponds “to the use of political communication and of cultural content as its tool 12 .” In fact, recent Russian studies design Festival as a tool of public diplomacy 13 . Finally, the Festival sports events inevitably embed in “sports diplomacy” as they participate in the Soviet foreign relations in this field. The literature review by Clastres (2020) underlines that the recent scholarship invites to reassess the contribution of sports to the international relations, both in link with Realpolitik and soft power 14 .

As Kotek (1998) showed in his seminal study of youth and student organizations during the Cold War, the international students and youth movement came to be dominated by communists in the late 1930s 15 . As a result, the sports competitions run by the IUS and WFDY were largely vehicles for communist cultural diplomacy. This premise is supported by recent research by sports historians. For example, Schiller (2019) shed the light on the institutional and national specificities of the X Festival in Berlin and the political use made of its sports events 16 , and Parks (2013) attributed the rise of Soviet sport and its international integration to the efforts of a “bureaucratic” element and its relations with the IOC and sport federations 17 . She argued that this task became easier in the context of peaceful coexistence and détente, because peace and friendship were a central part of this discourse. This “process of melding Soviet and Olympic ideals 18 ” had already been noted by Riordan (1974) , who also maintained that “the USSR attempted to impose itself in international sports by creating new institutions instead of integrating the existing ones 19 .” Parks (2014) pointed out the importance of the developing nations in Soviet sports diplomacy 20 . In addition to these references, the works of Prozumensikov (2004) based on the Soviet archives offered a deep analysis on the state participation in of the Soviet sports relations. Examining the Soviet sports system from an institutional perspective, Dufraisse (2019) suggested that the Soviet sporting champion could be regarded as the product of an engineering laboratory 21 . Hence, the Soviet sportsman was a “new man,” created in the 1930s, who acted as an ambassador for Soviet values and contributed to the internationalization of Soviet sport 22 . Although Dufraisse only alluded to the Festival, he emphasized the importance of youth in post-Stalinist propaganda. His findings actually echo in the part of this paper dedicated to the profiles of some young athletes 23 . However, despite the extensive scholarship, very few studies have focused on sport at the World Festival of Youth and Students.

Materials and Methods

This topic lies at the intersection of sports history and the history of youth and students. From a broader perspective, it touches upon the history of cultural diplomacy, the Cold War, internationalism, pacifism, and international relations, as well as colonial and post-colonial history. The research draws material of Russian public archives, archives of the International Olympic Committee, as well as the collections from the International Institute of Social History (IISH) in Amsterdam. It also relies on press articles from the USSR, France, Italy, and Switzerland. The goal of the archival research in the Soviet Archives was to understand which aspects of the Festival sports program were particularly discussed at the superior level of Soviet state and which other authorities were implied in this process. The archival material reveals the multitude of interactions and the complexity of the decision-making process. It encompasses reports of delegations, correspondence, and circular letters produced or received by the Committee for Physical Culture and Sports, the Foreign Policy Department of Central Committee of the Party. The exchanges with Komsomol and in particular its leader Nikolaj Mihajlov represent a crucial part of this documentation. Even though archives are open to consultation, many of files are still not declassified, so some demands were refused due the secret character of the documentation 24 . These restrictions reduced the volume of accessible material. I could partly fill this gap by studying the Soviet press and official publications of the IUS, along with the WFDY found at Russian public libraries as well as the IISH. Secondly, the correspondence of the IOC leaders was an essential source for understanding of personal and institutional points of view. The IOC archives were necessary to take knowledge of the reaction (or of its absence) of its leaders to the introduction of sports to the Festival and the possible exchanges with other IOC members or other organizations on this topic. When analyzing the attitude of national and international sports institutions, it was necessary to reduce the list to the IOC and FISU. Finally, due to the important volume of archival materials, I studied press selectively. I particularly examined Soviet newspapers and magazines in order to assess how much attention sports press paid to the Festival events, and on the contrary, if sports deserved the interest in the newspaper of Komsomol. On the other hand, I had to strictly limit the number of titles of foreign newspapers. Since France and Italy were the two countries with strong communist parties, this explains the choice of L'Unità and Le Monde having different political perspectives.

Adopting a chronological approach enabled me to identify links between sport at the Festival and changes in Soviet foreign policy. I begin by examining the World University Games' role in enabling the Soviet Union to integrate the international sports movement during the late Stalinist period then show how sport at the Festival mirrored the Socialist bloc's overtures to the Third World. Finally, I look at Moscow's ambition to become one of the major international sports destinations.

“It is Impossible to Imagine Youth Without Sport”: Sport'S Faltering Debut At the World Festival Of Youth and Students (Prague, 1947)

Sport was also an important part of the Festival's program, as the organizers considered it, by its very nature, to be a youthful activity 25 . Democratic and autocratic states had begun conjugating sport with youth in the 1920s−1930s, and this association was an important characteristic of physical education in early Soviet Russia 26 . The sports program of the Festival was run under the auspices of the host countries' sports authorities and youth communist organizations, but the Soviet Union's Sports Committee and Komsomol closely monitored preparations and offered recommendations. Around 17,000 young people from 17 countries, predominantly European, arrived in the Czechoslovak capital in August 1947 for the first Festival of Youth and Students for Peace and Friendship. The Festival's sports program appeared quite extensive and encouraged mass participation: “it offered to the guests the possibility to choose among the variety of entertainment activities, from football to ping-pong and chess. The competitions will arrive at the point culminating during the last week, when the best teams of all peoples will compete” 27 , 28 . Sport at the Prague Festival was open to all, subject to advance registration, and included 75 events 29 , ranging from elite individual and team sports, recreational sports, tests of strength, intellectual competitions, and sports demonstrations. According to the events' start sheets, 103 teams from 27 countries, took part, with 1337 athletes competing against their foreign comrades in 13 sports common either for elites, or for working class: swimming, tennis, table tennis, chess, athletics, basketball, volleyball, shooting, wrestling, boxing, weight lifting, cycling, and rugby 30 .

Due to gaps in the archives, it has so far been impossible to find detailed information on selection criteria for athletes. Given that attracting as many participants as possible was one of the Festival's goals, restrictions relating to age, nationality, or club membership are unlikely to have been imposed. Many athletes participated as members of youth or sports associations. For example, the Italian athletics federation (FIDAL) entered a track-and-field team, Italy's volleyball confederation entered a volleyball team, and a left-leaning student organization (Centro Universitario Democratico Italiano) chose athletes in other sports 31 . Soviet athletes competed in six sports (athletics, gymnastics, swimming, weightlifting, volleyball, and basketball), making Prague one of the few occasions on which the Soviet Union competed abroad before becoming affiliated to the international sport federations and the IOC.

Indeed, after having missed from the “bourgeois” sports arena, the USSR affiliated several international sports federations in the late 1940s, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1951 32 . Furthermore, the USSR entered in contact with capitalist countries and the federations and sought to observe the Western athletes' training methods with an intention to enrich its own ones 33 . In this context, the promotion of regime abroad and establishing sports connections within the socialist bloc were clearly among the main reasons why the Central Committee of the Communist Party decided to send a team to Prague. According to a document sent to the (Komsomol) and labeled “top secret” (like many other documents relating to the Festival), the aim was “[to demonstrate] the achievements of the multinational Soviet Union in the fields of culture, art, and sport, the role of Soviet youth during the war and post-war reconstruction, and to demonstrate the state's care for its youth 34 .” Soviet athletes successfully accomplished this task. For example, the 10-person mixed gymnastics team performed brilliantly and were awarded both a Crystal Cup by the WFDY Executive Committee and the Miroslav Tyrš medal 35 , and a team from Leningrad won the volleyball tournament. The swimming team participated out of competition, as the country was not yet a member of the international swimming federation 36 . According to the report written in the best traditions of Soviet state, these performances “highlighted [Soviet athletes'] high moral qualities, their will to win and their great sporting mastery, and, at the same time the government's interest in developing education, culture and sports 37 .”

The number of sports on the program was quite impressive for this post-war period, especially as five of them–volleyball, rugby, tennis, table tennis, and chess–were not on the Olympic program 38 . Giving floor to the non-Olympic sports during the Festival was probably an attempt of rapprochement with the respective sports federations. Moreover, the approval from the other international federations was likely to be difficult and there was even a chance they would react negatively to the sudden appearance of an international multisport event in Eastern Europe just before the London Olympics. It is also noteworthy, that in 1948 the WFDY's magazine expressed hostile attitude toward the IOC and described international sport institutions as the “bourgeois” fruits of capitalism 39 . It accused “the dark forces of imperialism [of compromising the true character of the Olympic Games, which] could become one of the best manifestations of peace and friendship 40 .” The link between sport, youth, and peace clearly alluded to the three components of the Soviet sporting universalism advocated by the Festival in contrast to the Western sport. Although Moscow's plans to develop a youth sports movement were not explicit for the West, the IOC's leaders, who were already reluctant to the communist participation in international sport, quickly expressed their concerns 41 . In December 1948, the IOC's chancellor Otto Mayer received two telephone calls from “behind the iron curtain 42 .” The Czechoslovak and Polish Legations in Switzerland had unexpectedly requested information about the IOC's plans with respect to youth. The IOC's president Sigfrid Edström immediately suggested that “Moscow [was] organizing something 43 .” These two calls actually seem to have been linked to preparations for the sports events at the second Festival in Budapest, the following August, which had been chosen to host the 1949 World University Games.

The World University Games at the Festival: Sport in the Students' Cold War (1949–1951)

The fact to combine the World University Summer Games with the Festival as of 1949 made it possible to increase collaboration between the WFDY and IUS, and therefore facilitated the goal of bringing together the world's youth through sport. However, the context in which the 1949 and 1951 Festivals took place was far from favorable to peaceful cooperation. The institutional split in the university sports movement since the creation of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) by the Western countries in early 1949 was one of concrete consequences of Cold War: the introduction of the Marshall Plan, the dispute between Tito and Stalin, and the outbreak of the Korean War directly impacted student and youth movements 44 . Increased tension between the blocs since the autumn of 1947 also led to substantial changes in the rhetoric of the 1949 and 1951 Festivals, which evolved from the 1947 Festival's focus on universalism and the struggle against abstract enemies of peace to the 1949 event's condemnation of the reactionary forces of the United States and Great Britain 45 . And although both Prague 1947 and Budapest 1949 had showcased the Soviet Union's cultural and sporting achievements, by Berlin 1951 the focus was on demonstrating the USSR's geopolitical power 46 .

Moreover, the international sports scene was also changing. In the spring of 1951, the Soviet national Olympic committee was admitted into the Olympic movement. The expansion of sporting exchanges announced at the 1951 World Peace Congress in Vienna “had to allow the best Soviet athletes to spread the notion of peace and friendship between peoples 47 .” These events greatly increased the importance of the University Games in Berlin for the Soviet Union, as they provided a major proving ground for Soviet athletes in international competitions. They were also crucial for the International Union of Students because the creation of FISU in response politicization of the University Games had upset the delicate balance of power within it 48 . Although the FISU was a small organization, it was based in Switzerland and was therefore better placed to please the IOC and international sports federations. At the same time, incorporating the university games into the Festival jeopardized the Soviet Union's influence over international student sport and the event's prestige.

The integration of the World University Games to the Festival meant the event could no longer be reserved for elite student athletes and would have to embrace a more inclusive logic centered round youth cooperation. The Festival helped popularize the university games among youth and students from more countries. As well as being the second largest multisport event after the Olympics, the university games had a long history and an excellent reputation within international sport. Consequently, they were able to attract a large number of countries from outside the Olympic movement (countries within the Soviet bloc and developing countries). The Soviet press often compared performances at the university games with those achieved at the Olympics, and foreign communist newspapers claimed that “the presence of many Olympic champions and world record-breakers gives the event the character of a true Olympiad 49 .” In fact, the two events were not only comparable in scale and sporting performance, they also had similar ceremonies.

Although the Festival and university games had separate opening ceremonies, both ceremonies usually included sporting elements. A few weeks before the Budapest 1949 opening ceremony, peace relays, in which runners carried WFDY flags, started in several European countries (Bulgaria, England, Norway, France, Belgium, Netherlands). At the same time, youth organizations in Austria and Romania held, respectively, bicycle and motorbike races 50 . On August 14, 1949, 10,400 festival delegates from 82 countries paraded into Budapest's Ujpest stadium 51 . The Soviet Union's young delegates, who were dressed in white as a symbol of peace, were warmly welcomed in the speeches addressed to Stalin and the Komsomol 52 . The university games opened the following day with a friendly football match at the Ferenzvaros Stadium featuring France and North Korea, the winners of the football competitions at the Prague Festival in 1947. Sixteen countries, represented by 934 athletes, including 303 from Hungary, the host country, and 117 from France, took part in the event 53 . North Korea's delegation of 24 athletes was bigger than those of Mongolia, Scotland, Austria, Belgium, and Finland, taken together.

The next Festival in 1951 in Berlin took place in “crucial time of diplomatic battles for the GDR's international legitimacy 54 .” It was described as a “great cultural, artistic, and sports event 55 ,” whose opening ceremony was described by Lausanne newspaper as “a great style show, in perfect alignment with the powerful propaganda spread every day in East Berlin 56 .” As in Budapest, the university games, held from August 6 to 15, were opened separately. The games were opened not by the GDR's president, Wilhelm Pieck, but by the first secretary, Walter Ulbricht, who used his opening speech, given in the stadium named after him, to stress the games' importance in promoting peace 57 . The traditional oath, pronounced by Georg Frister, a “master of sport 58 ” and holder of the East German triple jump record, was adapted slightly so it resonated better with the festival rhetoric. Thus, the expressions “honest combatant” and “contribute to […] the strengthening of mutual understanding among students from all over the world 59 ,” which were typical of the Festival's ponderous pacifist discourse, replaced “the glory of sport,” which had been part of the oath since it was introduced in the 1920s.

In line with the IUS's objective of making Berlin 1951 the largest and most representative Games ever held, a new record was set in terms of participation, with 2,000 athletes from 40 nations taking part in the sports events, out of the 26,000 delegates from 105 nations who attended the Festival 60 . The criteria for taking part made it relatively easy to achieve this typically Soviet, maximalist goal, as the regulations sent to national sports organizations in May 1951 did not require athletes to be affiliated to a student sports association and allowed high school students who had reached the age of majority to take part. The Soviet newspaper Sovetskij sport noted its impression that “sport has an even more important place in Berlin 61 ” and that “holding the Games during the Festival [.] would be a wonderful opportunity for student athletes to compete in front of an audience of young people and students from more than 80 countries 62 .” Most of these young people were from Eastern Europe, largely due to the split in the university sports movement and the reluctance of Western student sports associations to send their athletes to the games. In addition, Western countries, such as Italy 63 , were not adverse to placing obstacles in the path of students to prevent them taking part in the Festival. Such instances of visas being refused or problems crossing the French, Swiss, Spanish, or Italian borders were widely reported in Soviet newspapers and magazines. According to L'Unità , the NOCs of numerous capitalist states “sabotaged 64 ” the games in order to prevent athletes taking part in this “proving ground” for the Helsinki Olympics.

Budapest and Berlin were key competitions for the Soviet team before its test in international sport at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki. University games showcase of the advantages of the Soviet sports system, so that Soviet sports authorities needed to organize a meticulous training program and select very carefully the athletes they sent to the Festivals. Nevertheless, choosing the Festivals for the Soviet team's international debut after Stalin's refusal to send a team to the London Olympics 65 , meant that their athletes would not compete against the Americans, who refused to participate in the communist-run event. Despite the Soviet athletes' numerous victories in Budapest and Berlin, the experience showed that many aspects of their training would have to be improved if the team was to be successful at the highest levels. Since the experience of Budapest and Berlin seemed to prove that the Festival was an appropriate platform to achieve Soviet sports diplomacy goals, World University Games were replaced by a new event open to all youth and thus, possibly worrying the IOC leaders.

“None of Our Business”: the Festival and the IOC'S Leaders

The 1953 edition of the Festival saw the introduction of a modified sports program, in which the International Friendly Youth Games replaced the World University Games. While the latter were already a recognized event in Western Europe and around the world, the new competitions associated with the Festivals since 1953 would have to build a reputation from zero and stake their place in the international sport. The first edition of the Friendly Games coincided with increased openness to the outside world on two fronts, politics and sport. From a political perspective, Stalin's death in March 1953 had been followed by changes in Soviet foreign policy, including greater openness to countries outside the communist bloc. Moreover, 1951–1956 was a crucial period in forming a new international identity for Soviet sport. Thus, the Friendly Games most probably reflected the ambition of the Soviet authorities to test the new, more accessible international multisport event, since limiting the competitions only to students was incoherent with promoting socialist values among all youth. However, the Friendly Games could not expect to gain automatic recognition from international sports federations and the IOC and need to be intensively promoted: the credibility of the Festival's sports competitions was a major concern for the WFDY. It was important for the sports events to be seen to follow internationally recognized rules in order to avoid similar suspicions of cheating or bias to those leveled at the judges of the Festival's artistic contests. Even though the Friendly Games applied international sport federation regulations and the regulations on amateurism, as defined by the IOC, it did not prevent from participation of state-sponsored professional athletes, as it was common for the socialist countries.

The games' organizers built trust and closer relations with the IOC and the international federations by inviting their leaders to the event 66 . This approach had already been used at the university games in Budapest and Berlin for fear that international federations would recognize the rival FISU as the main student sports organization. In fact, the FISU's International University Summer and Winter Sports Weeks launched in 1949 were a direct threat to the World University Games run by the IUS. Funding was not an issue for the IUS and WFDY, as support from the Soviet Union ensured they had greater financial and human resources than the FISU supplied only by the membership fees. The real problem they actually faced was that the FISU was a purely Western institution and therefore more likely to appeal to international federations and the IOC. In a personal letter to Sigfrid Edström and the IOC's secretariat, the World University Games organizing committee evoked the “great tradition of university sport” and highlighted the fact that the games were founded “on the basis of the Olympic concept in order to contribute to the understanding and friendship of peoples 67 .” The letter was undoubtedly intended to promote the IUS's World University Games ahead of the FISU's Sports Week and thereby help address a worry expressed by the Soviet authorities: “there is a danger that international sports federations will recognize the FISU's meetings as student championships 68 .” Finally, the International Basketball Federation's secretary general, William Jones, attended the games on his own initiative to clarify the situation in student sport. The IUS's invitation for IOC officials to come to East Berlin came just 2 months after the IOC had recognized West Germany's national Olympic committee and at a time when the only international federations to recognize East Germany were basketball and chess, which meant athletes in other sports who competed against East German athletes risked being unable to participate in future competitions.

During this split in the university sports movement, which lasted from 1949 to 1957, the FISU also asked the IOC for advice, both to obtain moral support and to free itself from having to make the highly political decision about which countries to admit as members 69 . Although the University Games were no longer part of the Festival, the Friendly Games, which were held from 1953 to 1957, were also for students. FISU's secretary general, Carl Schneiter, warned Otto Mayer that the Games were “a pure communist propaganda 70 ” exercise that threatened sports neutrality. He assumed that some countries were planning to go to the Friendly Games in Warsaw in 1955 but not to the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, partly because of the cost, but also to avoid the antagonism between the USSR and the United States. His fears were confirmed, he believed, by an article in the Belgian newspaper Hermès, according to which the Friendly Games were “a clear attempt to take away the meaning of the Olympic Games and, if possible, take their place 71 .” According to the article, the Festival's organizers were trying to attract to Warsaw countries which were unsure about going to Melbourne, and concluded: “It is not because the international situation goes through periodic phases of détente that the West should lend itself to participating in a communist organization […] however naive Westerners may be 72 .”

Nonetheless, Mayer did not openly share Schneiter's concerns: “I do not believe, however, that the danger is as great as you assume. Sport is still in the hands of the International Federations and as long as it is the case, it will be very well-governed. Your cry of alarm deserves to be dealt with, but it is not to the IOC to do so. It is rather the responsibility of the International Federations 73 .” Mayer's reply was characteristic of the IOC's strategy of avoiding issues outside the Olympic movement and inviting the federations to deal with them 74 . However, a few months later, he sent quite an ardent letter to the IOC's president, Avery Brundage, about a report he had received from the International Rowing Federation's president Gaston Mülleg. “This is a sort of copy of the Olympic Games, with the difference, that 27,000 athletes were present at the Parade of the Opening Ceremony! […] There is no Olympic flag at all, and he [Mülleg] did not hear a single word about politics. […] Besides that, they had wonderful receptions, wonderful food (as much champagne, caviar as they wanted) and everything free of charge 75 .” Mayer was aware of the political nature of the event and agreed with Mülleg, who compared the Festival with “what Hitler had done in Germany before the war,” referring to the propaganda campaign of 1936 Summer Olympics. Last but not least, correspondence between Mayer and Brundage reveals the IOC's leaders ambiguous attitude to the Festival, given that the attempts to build a socialist international sports system separately from the Olympic movement existed before the war. It also appears that Mayer's interest in the issue not just due to his capacity as IOC chancellor, as his son was extremely interested in taking part in the Festival, attracted, partly, by the low registration fee, which included meals and accommodation. Although Mayer realized his son was “far from being a communist 76 ,” and only wanted to go to Bucharest to satisfy his curiosity about the event, Mayer forbid him from going. Other letters show that Edström was also aware of the event's political nature 77 , unlike Brundage, who replied: “this, of course, is none of our business but it might be placed on the agenda of our meeting with the International Federations,” adding: “There can be no objection unless they start to mix politics with sport 78 .”

See the Stars Up Close: Using Olympic Champions to Promote the Friendly Games

In parallel to the sport leaders' recognition, the Friendly Games organizers needed to gain a reputation among athletes and countries as well as to form positive image in public opinion. The media coverage was not limited to the official festival publications, socialist countries', and foreign left newspapers. They provided interviews with famous athletes invited to compete from all over the world to increase the games' prestige. The Western general and specialized media also reported on the Festival sports events, without citing interviews but focusing on the results.

The International Friendly Youth Games were scheduled so they took place twice between two editions of the Olympic Games. For many athletes, the 4-year gap between Olympic Games was too long and the Friendly Games provided an opportunity to compete against their Olympic and Championships opponents every 2 years. The shorter intervals between Friendly Games and their very flexible (sometimes non-existent) qualifying system made them very attractive to athletes who wanted to test themselves against world-class opposition or when they were unlikely to have a chance of competing in the Olympics. Finally, the opportunity to visit Eastern Europe's capital cities was just as appealing to athletes as it was to participants in other aspects of the Festival. However, to achieve the aim of becoming “contests of the best 79 ,” the organizing committee used to invite famous athletes from both East and West. Athletes from the West were not paid for taking part, so they would not lose their amateur status, but the low registration fees and cheap accommodation meant that the cost of competing was unlikely to deter most of them. The presence of international athletes who had accepted an invitation to compete was sure to increase the event's prestige, and the desire to meet and/or compete against these champions was highly motivating for other potential competitors. Thus, the Friendly Games would become the place to be: where else could you compete against Emil Zatopek and dozens of other famous athletes? The emergence of the Soviet Union as an elite sporting nation and the increasing number international medals being won by the country's athletes was a further motivation. Indeed, Soviet and Eastern bloc athletes were beginning to catch the attention of sports fans around the world thanks to their performances in international competitions, most notably the Olympic Games. After rapidly raising standards between 1951 and 1955, the Soviet Union was able to send a truly world-class team to the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, where, for the first, the Soviet Union won more medals than the United States.

Zatopek undoubtedly attracted a lot of public attention. The French Le Monde , which reported results from the Friendly Games, mentioned Zatopek more frequently than any other athlete 80 and a photo of Zatopek featured in the Swiss Festival Committee's brochure under the heading: “Will Emil Zatopek set a new world record? 81 ” As Komsomol'skaja pravda noted, several Olympic champions said they were keen to compete in the Friendly Games. They included the Jamaican sprinters Rhoden and McKenley, the Hungarian hammer thrower Csermak, and the Zatopek couple 82 . Other athletes who accepted invitations to compete included the Australian sprinter Shirley Strickland, the Brazilian long jumper Adhemar Ferreira da Silva, the Romanian table tennis player Angelika Rozeanu, the French swimmer Aldo Eminente, the Hungarian long jumper Olga Gyarmati, and the Soviet discus thrower Nina Romashkova (Ponomaryova) and long-distance runner Vladimir Kuts. Interestingly, for rising stars such as the Algerian-French marathon runner Alain Mimoun and the American javelin thrower Dave Stephens, taking part in the Friendly Games proved to be a step on the way to Olympic glory in Melbourne.

Another important way of increasing the games' renown was through publishing interviews with athletes, who were quoted as expressing great enthusiasm for meeting Soviet “stars” and the spectacular progress they had made. The veracity of many of these interviews appears doubtful, given their propensity to mention the same subjects, such as the victory of friendship and peace being the most important result of the competitions, while noting the high standard of the competitions in general. Many of the supposed interviewees were national, international, or Olympic champions. For example, Brazil's double gold medal-winning triple jumper and student, Adhemar Ferreira Da Silva, said that he had “checked the list of participants” before accepting the invitation, and that he had decided to compete and “put everything on the line” after seeing the high standard of the field 83 . For the Hungarian discus thrower Ferenc Klics, who competed in four Olympic Games between 1948 and 1960, “[athletes] will only be able to gain popular recognition when they understand that sport is closely linked to the great struggle for peace 84 ,” while Danish wrestling champion Eigil Iohansen looked forward to hearing the best athletes coming together “in a friendly competition,” which he saw as “an opportunity to renew the friendship of young people from all countries 85 .” Repetitive references to “all countries” underlined the intention of the USSR to democratize sport in in parallel to the internationalist ambition of the Festival sports events. It concerned most notably Third World countries, including those whose national bodies had not yet been recognized by the IOC and international federations. In this respect, it is noteworthy that the nationality of interviewees changed in line with the shifts in Soviet foreign policy: most interviewees at early editions of the Friendly Games were from Latin America, Africa, Asia, Scandinavia, and Finland; whereas later editions also saw interviews with Americans, Australians, and New Zealanders. As well as reflecting the Soviet Union's evolving geopolitical focus, interviewing people from a wider range of countries highlighted the event's global character, thereby increasing its legitimacy 86 .

Mind and Body, Peace and Friendship: Olympic Ideals, Soviet Style

Referring to peace, friendship, and solidarity was an effective way of promoting the communist and sports values without directly referring to communism as such 87 . At the same time, as asserts Toby Rider (2018) , “the Soviet regime tried to create the impression that the noble aims of its sports model were representative of the virtuous goals of the Soviet state 88 .” Since the 1940s, the heads of the Soviet Union's sports organizations had capitalized on the similarities between “aspects of Olympic philosophy [and] Marxist-Leninist ideas of mass participation in sport, promoting physical education for all, and peace and friendship between nations 89 .” This transition from criticizing the bourgeois Olympic institution to progressively embracing the values of the Olympic movement marked a shift in the way the WFDY ran the youth sports movement. Its aim was to consolidate the symbolic basis of youth sport by establishing links with ideals of friendship and peace proper to Olympism.

The integration of the USSR to the IOC and to the international federations progressively changed the tone of publications after Stalin. In 1956, the Olympic Games became a popular topic in the WFDY's magazine, World Youth, which had tended not to write about sport, while the IUS and the Soviet press published innumerable articles in favor of the Olympic tradition. For example, in the run up to the games in Melbourne, Fizkul'tura i sport published a two-page article on the history of the Olympic Games 90 . The goal was to show the extent to which the games associated with the Festival helped continue the Olympic tradition. In an interview ran by World Youth, the WFDY's secretary for sport, Hungary's Mihaly Biro, stressed the importance of the “physical fulfillment of young people [who had to] stimulate the development of friendship between the youth of different countries and [educate] them in the spirit of the Olympic ideals 91 .” Another article highlighted the importance of the Olympic Games “for all mankind and the younger generation [since they contribute] to expanding the bonds of friendship between peoples and the youth of different countries and strengthening mutual understanding 92 .” According to the Soviet press, the Friendly Games in Warsaw “had undoubtedly contributed to popularizing sport and the Olympic ideal” and, “in terms of their scale, [were] equal to the Olympic Games 93 .” However, the Friendly Games and Olympic Games were not in competition; rather they “complemented each other [in such a way that the Friendly Games] became a ‘pre-Olympiad 94 .”’ Obviously, this frequent reference to the Olympics did not aim at promoting them per se but to underline the internationalization of the socialist sport.

Moreover, the idea of harmonious moral and physical development advocated by Coubertin was also promoted by Soviet sports ideology since the 1920s. In fact, many of the athletes who competed in the Friendly Games were students 95 . Poland's Janusz Sidło, a student at the Academy of Physical Education in Warsaw who competed in the 1954 World University Games and 1954 Athletics World Championships, noted the importance of maintaining a balance between studies and sport. Such a balance was achieved by, among others, Tamara Manina, a rising star of Russian gymnastics, who won two individual silver medals and team gold and bronze medals at the Melbourne Olympics (as well as gold and silver team medals at Tokyo 1964), as well as being both a student of physics and mathematics at the University of Leningrad, and a musician. Combining other commitments with their sporting achievements not only enabled athletes to show they were truly amateurs, the ability to succeed in several fields was trumpeted as showing the advantages of the socialist system and of its intercontinental expansion. For example, the young captain of a Chinese basketball team had begun life as a peasant and had learned to play basketball with the factory team at the steel plant at which he had found work when the communists came to power 96 . Finally, Soviet sports system frequently hailed the proletarian origins of many of its top athletes. Emil Zatopek's noted Soviet rival, Vladimir Kuts, who was frequently glorified in articles about the Festival, was a typical Soviet “sports hero,” who had risen from modest beginnings to become a champion in his sport 97 . This facet of the Soviet sports doctrine going hand-in-hand with its criticism of sports elitism, glorified the socialist educational system, which allowed to develop the personality and talents regardless the social origin.

Democratizing Sport: Between Grassroots Sport and Globalist Ambitions

Having set “promoting sport among youth 98 ” as its goal, the Festival's sports program aimed to encompass socialist internationalism on a societal scale and to democratize sport. In other words, the Festival helped to expand participation across social groups, thereby reflecting efforts made by the Soviet government to encourage people from all walks of life to take up some form of sport, whatever the level. Sports actually participated in creation of a “new man 99 ” within and outside the Socialist bloc. Although grassroots sports events at the Budapest and Berlin Festivals had been low key and run in parallel to the University Games in order to encourage non-students to participate, they took on a whole new dimension as of 1953 100 . Sports events at Bucharest 1953 were, according to the Festival's regulations, open “to the youth of all countries” “with no limitation on age, social position, or political, and religious views [.] 101 ,” while the competitions at Moscow 1957 were open to “individual athletes or teams, workers, students, and other sport clubs 102 .” This latter quotation neatly summarizes the alternative conception of sports meetings drawn up by the WFDY.

To ensure the sports program was inclusive and as a way of encouraging mass participation, numerous different events were held both before (“in honor of”) and during the Festival. The most important events were friendship tournaments and festival badge tests. Mass participation events were held in 13 or 14 individual and team sports, including some non-Olympics sports, during the 2-week Festival period. Around 2,000 athletes took part in these events. In addition, hundreds of local play-offs, and cross-country races, involving thousands of participants, were held during the months leading up to the main event. In many countries, including Italy and France, they were associated with existing events run by organizations close to the national communist party 103 . The WFDY and the IUS also tried to expand their influence outside Europe by holding sports meetings and camps. For example, Young Brazilians played in 208 friendship tournaments at the South-American Festival of Youth in Sao Paolo, even though the Brazilian government had banned them from taking part 104 , whereas several clubs in Algeria took part in the Festival Badge scheme 105 . The Festival Badge, which was awarded from 1953 to 1957, was designed to encourage all Festival delegates to test their sporting abilities. This voluntary awards system was inspired by the Soviet Union's GTO badge introduced in 1931 to recompense ordinary young men and women physical performance 106 . Participants were awarded a gold, silver, or bronze badge according to their performance on a series of athletic and gymnastic exercises. According to statistics for the Warsaw 1955 Festival, 16,000 young people from 57 countries took part in the Festival Badge program, which “incarnated the memories of friendship born on sports fields 107 .” In fact, the Festival Badge scheme, which was one of the most important programs for popularizing physical exercise and, of course, the Festival and communism, was also open to young people who could not travel to Europe, thereby enabling them to participate indirectly in the Festival. Badges were awarded in Indian villages, “where young men and women, lacking the weightlifting equipment needed for the competition, used bags filled with rice 108 .” The example illustrates that Soviet authorities employed the GTO-program among other methods to help the developing countries to modernize their national sporting culture. In addition, these local events sensitized youth to the different aspects of the Soviet life: for example, an Indian young lady from West Bengal was interested in “sports and cultural institutions” of the USSR 109 .

In parallel, individual athletes and delegations could improve their performances and reassess national training systems, especially in former colonies that had recently gained their independence. It was important not only to participate, but to learn: “athletes come to the Festival not only to fight for victory and compete with the strongest but to learn and accumulate experience 110 .” For example, a Chinese coach photographed famous athletes performing in order to help improve training methods in China, and a member of the Indian Field Hockey Association expressed his wish to spread his sport throughout the world and develop other sports in India in exchange 111 . Festival created a framework favorable for the improvement of results by providing up-and-coming athletes with the support they needed to realize their full potential 112 . For the Soviet Union, these events provided a useful political tool through which they could support newly independent countries and national liberation movements and helping them develop sporting culture among their peoples. Thus, the Festival's sports events were also intended to showcase the solidarity of the USSR and the socialist countries with the Global South and probably set the premises of Olympic Solidarity several years before the USSR suggested the idea to the IOC in 1961.

The International Solidarity Fund: Conquering the Hearts and Minds in the Global South

The festival sports program was strongly linked to the geopolitical battle in the colonial and post-colonial world. This especially interested the Soviet Union willing to expand its sports influence in these countries in its self-appointed role as the “champion of anticolonialism 113 .” Despite Stalin's isolationist foreign policy, the IUS and WFDY had taken an interest in decolonization from their creation. These two organizations aimed at extending their influence beyond the communist bloc in order to “spread and advance the democratic ideology, in other words, help colonial students in their struggle for liberty and independence 114 .” The IUS had support in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, since it “unambivalently backed anti-colonial movements where emerging students' leaders could be found 115 .” References to developing countries were present but still relatively restrained during the late 1940s and early 1950s. For example, in an article relating to the 1949 Festival in Budapest, Sovetskij sport wrote: “it was difficult to imagine the enthusiasm with which the young men and women of the Hungarian People's Republic greeted youth ambassadors fighting against the colonial regime, against imperialism, for national independence, peace, and freedom 116 .” The rise of national liberation movements and the accelerating pace of decolonization increased the Soviet Union's interest in these regions during the 1950s, especially following the 1955 Bandung Conference. According to J. Parks, “bring[ing] more nations into the Olympic movement” had become an important target for the Soviet Union's new leadership 117 . The USSR worked to increase the African influence within the IOC, a process that paralleled the growth in the number of African national Olympic committees granted IOC membership between 1952 and 1960 118 . In the framework of the Festival, the idea of attracting students from countries fighting for or recently granted independence had been turned into a concrete policy by 1950. The International Preparatory Committee for the Berlin Festival created a solidarity fund to help delegates from distant countries attend, specifically young people from colonial and dependent countries from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and South-East Asia.

More than 700 delegates attended the Berlin Festival, some of whom also took part in the University Games 119 . World Youth stressed “the importance of the participation of athletes from colonial and dependent countries, as well as from Latin American countries 120 ” at Berlin. According to the IUS's president, Joseph Grohman, the “sports activity [of the IUS] aid the struggle for democratic education and the provision of greater opportunities for students from all countries to practice sport 121 .” Several months before the Festival, richer countries began collecting money, via national solidarity committees, cultural and sports events, voluntary work, and donations, that could be used to help countries without the means to send athletes. For example, money from street concerts organized by young Swedes was used to pay for the Sudanese delegation's trip, young Finns volunteered to help young Senegalese delegates 122 , and young people from England and France held collections for delegates from Malaya and Kenya, and from Tunisia, respectively. According to statistics in the Soviet archives, Poland raised $50,000, China $35,000, Hungary $30,000, Romania $14,000, France $7,000, England $2,500, and Finland, Sweden, and Italy $1,500, each. However, the Soviet Union did not officially participate in the fundraising 123 .

Of course, the press and other documents focused mostly on politically unstable regions of geopolitical interest to the USSR, and the countries cited changed as Soviet interests evolved. Greater attention was being paid to distant countries as potential participants in the University Games (e.g., Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia). India was one of favorite examples, as the Soviet Union had established diplomatic relations with the Indian government in 1947, and had signed a bilateral cultural agreement in 1952. In addition, the press frequently highlighted the achievements of athletes from these countries. For example, India's Lavy Pinto, the “fastest man in Asia,” who had just won the 100- and 200-m sprints at the first Asian Games in Delhi, appeared at the Berlin University Games. The press and IUS publications frequently mentioned India's field hockey team, unbeaten Olympic champions since 1928, whose popularity in Warsaw was such that they “set a record 124 ” for the number of autographs signed before the final game. As the country was a “guest of honor 125 ” at the Festival in Moscow, the field-hockey team was invited to take part in the demonstration of traditional sports, which was part of the unofficial program. Similarly to the traditional dance and music performance typical for WDFY and IUS events whatever their level, it probably aimed to valorize the cultural richness and authenticity of the faraway regions in front of the Western modern identity.

Only a few African nations competed in the 1951 University Games in Berlin, including Nigeria, which had formed a national Olympic committee in January 1951, 9 years before gaining independence 126 . It was preparing, alongside three other African countries, to take part in its first Olympic Games, the following year in Helsinki 127 . Numerous anecdotes in the press related the participation of Africans in the grassroots events. When the French authorities refused visa requests from two players in the football team of the Association of African Students in France 128 , “two black guys” from Martinique asked the judge for permission to make up the team 129 . Another African student, from Lati Tuakli technical college, whose nationality was not given, said every member of his country's Festival delegation intended to get the Festival Badge 130 .

The attention paid to African nations increased greatly between 1953 and 1957, many of which were invited to the Festival in the context of growing relations with black power movements. This was a way of expressing solidarity with people struggling for independence and of rejecting racial discrimination, which was depicted in Festival posters. For example, the poster for the 1953 International Friendly Youth Games in Bucharest shows a white runner passing the baton to a black comrade (see Figure 1 ). Although the two runners obviously do not belong to the same team, as they are wearing different colored vests, the idea was to show that nationality, skin color, and performance are unimportant if they are both running for the same ideals. In the distance, the grandstands are topped by the flags of the “Big Four” winning countries from World War II plus communist China and Romania, the host country. Graphics for the Moscow festival also highlighted the participation of black athletes 131 . This focus on black athletes was part of the Soviet Union's desire to stress its antiracist, friendly and equal attitude, contrasting with a poor treatment of the black athletes by the USA.

Figure 1 . Billboard of the International Friendly Youth Sports Meetings, Bucharest, 1953. Source: Newspaper of the International Preparatory Committee, April 28–May 4, 1953, 3.

Less coverage was given to participation by Middle Eastern countries in the sports events before 1955. Nevertheless, following the 1955 Friendly Games in Warsaw, the Soviet authorities published an interview in which the secretary of Egypt's Olympic committee, Ahmed Touny, highlighted the “exceptional goodwill shown via the friendly help given to weaker rivals 132 .” His comment was prompted by the assistance given to the Egyptian rowing team, which did not have its own coach, by a Polish rowing coach 133 , but it is probably no coincidence that it was reported at a time of escalating tension between Egypt and Israel, supported by France and the United Kingdom. Two years later, at the 1957 Moscow Festival, which took place just few months after the Suez Crisis, attention was drawn to an English table tennis player's sporting gesture of offering a glass of water, with a smile, to his Egyptian opponent 134 . Official publications and the Soviet press trumpeted such demonstrations of good sportsmanship as proof of young people's goodwill toward their foreign comrades regardless of the color of their skin or political leanings, and as contrasting with the imperialist behavior of the decadent empires. These examples alluded to the emerging unity of international socialist youth, where Global South could bring a great number of “potential friends” and supporters of the Soviet Union through their participation in the Festival 135 .

Welcoming the World to the Soviet Capital: Moscow in the Role of International Sports Destination

Staging the III International Friendly Youth Games during the 1957 Moscow Festival gave the Soviet capital its first taste of being a world's new international sports destination. This third and final International Friendly Youth Games brought the world's youth to the capital of socialism in a spirit of peaceful coexistence, where the Festival had to promote a peaceful image of Kruschev's USSR 136 . It benefitted from the enduring euphoria generated by the country's performance at the Melbourne Olympics and took place at a time when the Soviet Union was beginning to open the borders to a larger number of visitors 137 . The warm welcome given to the first post-war influx of foreign tourists, who admired the gloss of a modern capital, was a good start in preparing the city for the Festival. After heading the medals table in Melbourne, at only its second Olympic Games, the Soviet Union was keen to flaunt its newfound sporting prestige to an international audience. In addition, Soviet sports officials had returned from Melbourne having learned a lot about organizing major sports events and sports infrastructure. Soviet authorities had decided not to bid for the 1964 Summer Olympics 138 ; preferring to focus on this “mini Olympiad 139 ” celebrating internationalism, peace, and friendship, which was organized under the auspices of the country's Olympic committee. In fact, there were strong parallels between the goals of these two events 140 . While the Olympic Games were becoming a battlefield between the United States and the Soviet Union, Moscow 1957 was presented as promoting peaceful coexistence and the progress of the Soviet sports system. Every means was used to demonstrate the Soviet regime's modernity and the progress it had made in physical education and sports training. Several dozen physical education and sports specialists (known as fizorgs ) were trained to conduct fitness sessions for delegates and lead (accompanied by interpreters) guided tours of Moscow's sports venues. In addition, a “sports avenue” through the southwestern part of the city took curious visitors from Lenin Stadium to the city center. Stadiums, swimming pools, and sports halls in and around Moscow were used to stage a festival of international sport. The Moscow Friendly Games included 23 sports, 13 of which were open to women. This was a source of pride for the Soviet authorities because women were only allowed to compete in 7 of the 17 sports on the Olympic program. Thus, 671 women competed at the Friendly Games, compared with only 376 female athletes at the previous Olympics. The Moscow Friendly Games were truly a mass-participation event, involving nearly 4,000 “white, yellow, brown, and black 141 ” athletes from 46 countries (similar numbers to previous editions of the Friendly Games) 142 . “Ambassadors of five continents 143 ,” as Sovetskij sport called the athletes, paraded through the brand-new Lenin Stadium, which had opened in July 1956. “Covering 145 ha, with 1,000 permanent staff 144 ,” the new stadium was the pride and joy of Moscow's authorities and would go on to host the 1973 Universiade and the 1980 Olympic Games. In 1957, it welcomed Olympic athletes from Australia, as well as other friends of peace from “faraway shores 145 .” In addition, several countries which had boycotted the Melbourne Olympics over the Suez Crisis took part in the Friendly Games, which featured 139 Olympic medalists from Melbourne, as-well as 17 world champions and world record holders 146 . Defeats of these champions were heralded in the Soviet as proof of the high level of competition.

Détente made Soviet-American sports friendship a favorite topic for the Soviet press. For example, the opening ceremony generated lines such as: “Friends meet again” and “Crowd applauded: Soviet delegation appeared. But when the American delegation came closer, Soviet [athletes] pounced on them to exchange cordial greetings 147 .” The athletes from English-speaking countries seemed also to be happy to come to Moscow, even though they were not necessarily supported in their home countries' governments or sports organizations. America's Parry O'Brian, who had won the shot-put competition in Melbourne accepted the invitation to the Friendly Games because they represented “a great contribution to strengthening Soviet-American sporting ties 148 ,” adding that the Russians' hospitality exceeded anything he had ever seen. New Zealand's Norman Read, who had won Olympic gold in the 50-km walk, said: “the language of friendship does not need translators 149 .” This expression was all the more interesting because sport was also considered to be a universal language. In fact, scenes of famous athletes talking and laughing together showed that differences in language and culture did not prevent the Festival creating a relaxed and open atmosphere. Thus, at a time when the Soviet Union was becoming more open to the world, Moscow seized the opportunity to become the capital of international friendship and showed it was capable of hosting an event on the scale of the Olympic Games.

Conclusion and Discussion

The World Festival of Youth and Students positioned itself as a champion of the values of peace, friendship and solidarity. The sports events held in conjunction with the Festival were a wonderful channel for spreading this message and created a new space of transnational cooperation. They provided the Soviet Union and the socialist states with an additional cultural diplomacy tool, whereby they helped to shape the Eastern bloc's relations with international sports organizations and other countries. By “overcoming Cold War the boundaries 150 ,” the Festival purported to use sport to bring together young men and women in friendships that surpassed social, geographical, racial, and political differences. Students, office staff, and factory workers could now compete on the same track, for the same medals, regardless of their ability, and socialize outside the stadium. One objective of the Festival was to establish an additional space of repeated cross-border exchanges for the athletes and teams. The other consisted in moving away from the goal of sporting elitism and to encourage young people to take up sport, in line with the Soviet Union's desire to valorize and develop elite and grassroots sport (masterstvo and massovost, in Russian). The project looked to reform each individual at every level of society a to produce the “new socialist man.” Moreover, the idea of “sport for all” took on another dimension in the light of the rise of national independence movements in colonized countries. Young people from throughout the world could compete in the international competitions without having to wait for their country to set up an IOC-recognized Olympic committee. They also could obtain financial support for attending these celebrations of Soviet prowess, at which they were treated as guests.

The goal of Soviet sport ideologists was actually to offer a more inclusive model of multisport competitions, without explicitly competing with the Olympic institution or denigrating it. By moving away from the doctrine of sports elitism and holding the sports events in parallel with the Festival enabled the sports events to attract larger numbers of participants. Moreover, the Festival's biannual calendar, avoiding clashes with the quadrennial Olympics, meant that elite athletes, some of whom did not even have access to the Olympics, had a regular stage on which to compete. In order to legitimize and popularize the Games held in conjunction with the Festival, and to avoid accusations that they were encroaching on the Olympic Games, the organizers were invited and well-treated the representatives of the Western sports organizations. This was a key aspect of the Soviet Union's international sports crusade, whose aim was to gain the trust of Western organizations, including during the split in the university sports movement, from 1949 to 1957.

Of course, the absence of most of the West's top athletes helped ensure the Soviet Union and countries of the Eastern bloc won the vast majority of the medals, but their success in Melbourne showed that athletes from Eastern Europe could match, and often beat, their western counterparts. Unlike musical and artistic talent, sporting records provided quantifiable proof of the socialist system's achievements. Every victory by a Soviet athlete was projected as a triumph of communist values, so it was extremely important for Soviet cultural diplomacy to demonstrate success in a field where the country had long been isolated from the West. The Soviet Union undoubtedly hoped to continue organizing this forum of massive cross-cultural interaction but they were forced to abandon their plans following the political difficulties experienced by the next Festival, Vienna 1959. The other possible reason was the reunification of the international university sports movement under the auspices of FISU and the creation of the Universiade. The focus was now on gaining influence of the socialist countries within FISU. Consequently, future Festival's sports events risked to become much more modest affairs than those held during the “golden age” from 1949 to 1957.

The results cast a new light on a peculiar role of youth and sports as a channel of Soviet cultural diplomacy in Europe and the Global South during the Cold War. The paper also highlights the existence of two opposed models of international university sports promoted by the East and West, independently from the Olympic movement. In line with previous studies, the findings demonstrate the importance of the Festival sports competitions for t the internationalization of socialist sport and the democratization of international sport. Future research could thus focus on the national and regional perspectives as well as on the posterior development of sports at the Festival.

Data Availability Statement

All datasets generated for this study are included in the article/supplementary material.

Author Contributions

LL individually conducted the present research on all the stages.

Conflict of Interest

The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

1. ^ “12 dnei rekordov,” Molodež' mira (the Russian version of World Youth, the WFDY official magazine), 10, 1955, 38.

2. ^ Müller ( 2015 ).

3. ^ The International Preparatory Committee of each edition of the event was assisted by local sports institutions and its work was assisted and controlled by the Komsomol (All-Union Leninist Communist League of Youth), Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), and the corresponding Soviet ministries for each part of the program (for example, Committee for Physical Culture and Sports).

4. ^ Through the analysis of the previous scholarship Patryk Babiracki and Austin Jersild suggest that “socialist internationalism” represents the incarnation of the pre-war proletarian internationalism as a form of “egalitarian cooperation,” which is subject to the Soviet domination after the war. On the other hand, the term characterizes more informal exchanges and cross-cultural interaction fostered by organizations originated from the USSR. Festival seems to perfectly fit into this definition. Babyracki and Jersild (2016) .

5. ^ Kott (2017) .

6. ^ Defrance (2000) .

7. ^ Koivunen (2013) .

8. ^ Hoberman (1986) . Cited by Koivunen, 55.

9. ^ Caute (2003) . See Koivunen (2014) .

10. ^ Keys (2006) . Cited by Koivunen, P., Performing Peace and Friendship, 3–34.

11. ^ Koivunen, P., Performing Peace and Friendship, 52.

12. ^ Gillabert (2017) . He also explains that these two terms are quite similar but arise from different historiographical traditions.

13. ^ Možaeva ( 2015 ).

14. ^ Clastres (2020) . See also Murray (2012) and Rofe (2016) .

15. ^ Kotek (1998) .

16. ^ Schiller (2019) .

17. ^ Parks (2013) .

18. ^ Parks, J., 89.

19. ^ Riordan (1974) . See also Riordan (1993) .

20. ^ Parks (2014) .

21. ^ Dufraisse (2019) .

22. ^ Dufraisse (2012) . See also O'Mahony ( 2006 ).

23. ^ Guerres mondiales et conflits contemporains 277(1).

24. ^ This difficulty related to the selective declassification, and the excessive use of “secret” label were also mentioned in Dullin (2003) .

25. ^ Many publications have highlighted the link between sport and youth: “youth and sport: these two notions are inseparable,” Molodež' mira, 10, 1955, 38, and “it is impossible to imagine youth without sport,” Molodež' mira, 10, 1957, 18.

26. ^ Grant (2013) .

27. ^ RGASPI (Russian State Archives of Socio-Political History), fund 17 (Central Committee of the Communist Party), inv.172, file 71, 167.

28. ^ Koivunen, P., Performing Peace and Friendship, 55.

29. ^ Activités de la Fédération mondiale de la Jeunesse démocratique, November 1949–August 1949, Paris, WFDY, 1949.

30. ^ “Meždunarodnyj festival' molodeži,” Sovetskij sport, 64(1356), August 12, 1947, 4.

31. ^ Sbetti (2020) .

32. ^ IAAF and FIFA in 1946, FIBA in 1947, FIVB in 1948.

33. ^ Parks, J. op.cit.

34. ^ RGASPI, f.17, inv.172, f. file 42, 1-12.

35. ^ Named after the founder of the Sokol youth sports movement.

36. ^ “Tri festivalâ: Praga-Budapest-Berlin,” Fizkul'tura i sport, 8, 1951, 4.

37. ^ GARF (State Archives of Russian Federation), f.R7576, inv.1, f.592, 45–46, cited by Dufraisse, S. op.cit., 46.

38. ^ The first Men's volleyball world championship was organized in Czechoslovakia in 1949, while the International chess federation became one of the favorite partners of the USSR.

39. ^ See for example, Gounot (1998) .

40. ^ “Sport. Olimpijskie igry i Triest,” Molodež mira, 1(7), 1948, 26–27. The article addressed Trieste's exclusion from the forthcoming Olympic Games in London due to the involvement of Italian fascists in the Olympic movement.

41. ^ Krieger and Duckworth (2020) .

42. ^ Mayer to Edström, December 6, 1948, IOC Archives, IOC Presidents, Sigfrid Edström, A-P04/002.

43. ^ Edström to Mayer, December 9, 1948, IOC Archives, IOC Presidents, Sigfrid Edström, A-P04/002.

44. ^ Kotek, op.cit., 207–239.

45. ^ Koivunen, Performing Peace and Friendship, 67–74.

46. ^ Krieger and Duckworth (2020).

47. ^ Dufraisse, op.cit., 106.

48. ^ As the World University Games were managed by the IUS, they were object to all the political disagreements between within it. The tensions between Eastern and Western student unions reflected the changes of geopolitical situation, such as the launching of Marshall Plan, the outbreak of Korean War, and Tito-Stalin conflict.

49. ^ “S'iniziano oggi i Giochi Sportivi del V Festival della Gioventù,” L'Unità (the Italian communist party newspaper), 4 August 1953, 5.

50. ^ “Budapest vstrečaet gostej,” Sovetskij sport, 90(1590), 13 August 1949, 7.

51. ^ This decrease in participation was related to the West's increasing awareness of the Festival's political nature. See Kotek (2010) .

52. ^ “Iz budapeštskogo dnevnika,” Fizkul'tura i sport, September 9, 1949, 20.

53. ^ ”Résultats des X è mes Jeux mondiaux universitaires d'été, Budapest, 14–21 août 1949.” Prague: IUS, 1949.

54. ^ Zubok (2014) .

55. ^ Documents et décisions du 7 e Conseil annuel de la Fédération mondiale de la jeunesse démocratique. Berlin, 21–24 août 1951. Budapest: FMJD, 1951, 8.

56. ^ Perrin (1951) .

57. ^ “Mir! Družba ! Mir!,” Fizkul'tura i sport, 8, 1951, 2–3.

58. ^ According to the Soviet sports classification.

59. ^ “Tri festivalâ: Praga-Budapest-Berlin,” op.cit.

60. ^ The numbers were provided in Fizkul'tura i sport, Sovetskij sport, World Youth and L'Unità .

61. ^ Navstreču festuvalû, Sovetskij sport 75(1878), June 28, 1951, 3.

62. ^ “Flag festivalâ,” Sovetskij sport, 90(1590), August 13, 1949, 3.

63. ^ Sbetti, N., op.cit.

64. ^ Mander, E. “Elevato contenuto tecnico degli XI Giuochi Universitairi,” L'Unità, August 9, 1951, 4.

65. ^ Riordan (1977) .

66. ^ Parks, J., 73–106.

67. ^ International Organizing Committee of the XI World University Summer Games to Sigfrid Edström, 21 July 1951, IOC Archives, E-RE02-FISU/002.

68. ^ GARF, R7576, inv.2, f.662, 116.

69. ^ More specifically, Spain and German Democratic Republic.

70. ^ Carl Schneiter to Otto Mayer, May 12, 1955, IOC Archives, E-RE02-FISU/002.

71. ^ Carl Schneiter to Otto Mayer, August 1, 1955, IOC Archives, E-RE02-FISU/002.

72. ^ Riordan (1977) .

73. ^ Otto Mayer to Carl Schneiter, May 16, 1955, IOC Archives, E-RE02-FISU/002.

74. ^ Several international federation leaders attended the Games in 1953: Gaston Mülleg (rowing), Roger Coulon (amateur wrestling), Paul Libaud (volleyball), and Bertil Sällfors (swimming). The Festival bulletin highlighted FINA's and the FIVB's satisfaction with the staging of the event and the event model. It also noted the enthusiasm of some European national federations (Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, etc.) for the event, Newspaper of the International Preparatory Committee, May 5–11, 1953, 1.

75. ^ Otto Mayer to Avery Brundage, August 5, 1953, IOC Archives, IOC Presidents, Avery Brundage, A-P05/016.

76. ^ Otto Mayer to Avery Brundage, June 30, 1953, IOC Archives, IOC Presidents, Avery Brundage, A-P05/016.

77. ^ Riordan (1977) .

78. ^ Avery Brundage to Otto Mayer, July 8, 1953, IOC Archives, IOC Presidents, Avery Brundage, A-P05/016.

79. ^ Newspaper of the International Preparatory Committee, May 19–25, 1953, 1.

80. ^ Unknown author, Zatopek s'est imposé à Varsovie, Le Monde, August 4, 1955.

81. ^ Festival de Varsovie, 1955, Swiss Festival Committee leaflet, Archives cantonales vaudoises, PP798/55.

82. ^ “Sportivnye sostâzaniâ,” Komsomol'skaâ Pravda, August 1, 1953, 3.

83. ^ “Fereiro da Silva,” Molodež' mira, 10, 1957, 20.

84. ^ “Govorât sportsmeny,” Sovetskij sport, 95(1898), August 14, 1951, 7.

85. ^ Newspaper of the International Preparatory Committee, May 19–25, 1953, 1.

86. ^ “Listing as many countries as possible was part of the strategy to give the Festival legitimacy.” See Koivunen, P., Performing Peace and Friendship, 201.

87. ^ Koivunen (2016) .

88. ^ Rider (2018) .

89. ^ Parks, J., The Olympic Games, 89.

90. ^ “Navstrechu Olimpijskim igram v Melburne,” Molodež' mira, 11–12, 1955, 16.

91. ^ “Vo imâ olimpijskih idealov,” Molodež' mira, 10, 1955, 20–21.

92. ^ “12 dnei rekordov,” op.cit.

93. ^ “Eto sbližaet narody,” Fizkul'tura i sport, 9, 1955, 8.

94. ^ “Po 23 vidam,” Fizkul'tura i sport, 9, 1955, 7.

95. ^ Their participation was all the more important because the split in the student sports movement continued until 1959 and FISU's rival competitions took place at the same time of year.

96. ^ “Poslancy pâti materikov,” Sovetskij sport, 102(2838), 28 July 1957, 3.

97. ^ Dufraisse, Les héros du sport, 133–168.

98. ^ Sport at the Festival, Budapest: FMJD, 1957, 4–5.

99. ^ In the Soviet context this concept describes the new model of ideal citizen created by the state and incarnating specific values, beliefs and culture.

100. ^ “Vesti iz goroda festivalâ”, Komsomol'skaâ Pravda, 187(9285), August 9, 1955, 2.

101. ^ Newspaper of the International Preparatory Committee, April 20–27, 1953, 3.

102. ^ Sports at the Festival, op.cit.

103. ^ For example, Unione Italiana Sport Popolare (UISP) and Fédération sportive et gymnique du travail (FSGT), whose Cross de l'Humanité was a typical event. This is obviously related to the importance of the communist party in these countries.

104. ^ “Sport pour tous,” Newspaper of the International Preparatory Committee, March 15–31, 1955, 1.

105. ^ “Massovye sportivnye sorevnovaniâ,” Molodež' mira, 4, 1955, 24.

106. ^ GTO—“Gotov k trudu i oborone” (Ready for Labor and Defense). GTO was an unified system of physical training of all Soviet people with a special system of rewards according to the results.

107. ^ “Tri milliona učastnikov,” Molodež' mira, 10, 1955, 37.

108. ^ Rider (2018) .

109. ^ Wishon (2016) .

110. ^ “Festival' ûnosti i druž by ,” Fizkul'tura i sport, 9, 1955, 4.

111. ^ “Beseda s prezidentom MSS J.Grohmanom,” Molodež' mira, 10, 1951, 17.

112. ^ “Vo imâ olimpijskih idealov,” op.cit.

113. ^ Berstein and Milza (2014) .

114. ^ Fischer (2000) .

115. ^ Paget (2004) .

116. ^ “Na stadione Ujpest otkrylsâ Festival,” Sovetskij sport, 91(1591), August 14, 1949, 7.

117. ^ Parks, J., Welcoming the “Third World,” op.cit., 85.

118. ^ Charitas (2009) .

119. ^ Brazil (105), Argentina (40), Cuba (25), Columbia (28), India (84), Indonesia (89), Nigeria (47), Iran (119), Liban (114).

120. ^ “Festival molodyh borcov za mir,” Sovetskij sport, 91(1591), August 14, 1949, 1.

121. ^ “Beseda s prezidentom MSS J.Grohmanom,” op.cit.

122. ^ “Festival' ûnosti i druž by ,” op.cit.

123. ^ GARF, f.R7576, inv.2, f.666, 45.

124. ^ “Vo imâ olimpijskih idealov,” op.cit.

125. ^ Wishon (2016) , op.cit.

126. ^ In January 1951, French IOC member François Pietri expressed his concerns about recognizing the Nigerian NOC. See Charitas, P., op. cit.

127. ^ The other three were Gold Coast (Ghana), the Union of South Africa, and Egypt.

128. ^ “S dalekih beregov,” Sovetskij sport, 104(2840), July 30, 1957, 7. This episode is also mentioned in Dieng (2011) .

129. ^ “Na stadionah družby,” Molodež' mira, 10, 1957, 18.

130. ^ “Massovye sportivnye sorevnovaniâ,” op.cit.

131. ^ The cover of Fizkul'tura i sport, 7, 1957.

132. ^ “Sportsmen from Arab countries to Warsaw,” Newspaper of the International Preparatory Committee, 16–31 May 1955, 2.

133. ^ “Festival' ûnosti i družby,” op.cit.

134. ^ “Cem nehorošy igry,” Molodež' mira, 11, 1957, 8–9.

135. ^ Koivunen (2016) .

136. ^ Koivunen (2009) . Some other events organized in the USSR during Détente pursued similar goals: for example, the Congress of Sports Medicine (1958) or especially the World Youth Forum (1961).

137. ^ Salmon (2006) .

138. ^ Dufraisse (2020) .

139. ^ “Simfoniâ družby,” Fizkul'tura i sport, August 8, 1957, 15.

140. ^ See García and Magnúsdóttir ( 2019 ) and Redihan (2017) .

141. ^ “Un coup d'oeil sur les compétitions sportives,” Étudiants du monde (French version of World Student News, the IUS official magazine), 8–9, 1956, 15.

142. ^ Four thousand and three hundred participants from 54 countries in Bucharest and between 4,000 and 5,000 athletes from 42 countries in Warsaw.

143. ^ “Poslancy pâti materikov,” op.cit.

144. ^ “Un coup d'œil,” op.cit.

145. ^ “S dalekih beregov,” op.cit.

146. ^ “Vokrug družeskih igr,” Fizkul'tura i sport, 9, 1957, 13.

147. ^ “Simfoniâ družby,” Fizkul'tura i sport, 6, 1957,

148. ^ “Gotovimsâ, priedem,” Fizkul'tura i sport, 6, 1957, 4.

149. ^ “V razgovore s druz'âmi,” Fizkul'tura i sport, 9, 1957, 14.

150. ^ Koivunen (2010) .

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Keywords: youth and students, student sports, university sports, soviet sports, sports and communism, festival of youth, socialist sport, socialist internationalism

Citation: Lesnykh L (2020) Sport at the World Festival of Youth and Students: Between Olympic Ideals and Socialist Internationalism. Front. Sports Act. Living 2:567095. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2020.567095

Received: 01 June 2020; Accepted: 21 September 2020; Published: 12 November 2020.

Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2020 Lesnykh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Lidia Lesnykh, lidia.lesnykh@unil.ch

This article is part of the Research Topic

Youth, Young People and Sport from the 19th Century to Modern Day

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, writing about sports in college essays.

Hey guys, I'm a junior and I'm starting to think about the topics for my college essay. I'm really passionate about sports and it's been a significant part of my high school experience. Is it a good idea to write about sports in my college essay? Can you share any tips and suggestions for making it stand out?

Writing about sports in your college essay can be a great idea if you approach it in a unique and personal way. While it's true that some sports-related essay topics are considered cliché, like sports injuries or victories, there's still a way to make yours stand out.

Here are some tips and suggestions for making your sports essay stand out:

1. Focus on a specific aspect: Instead of writing about your entire sports experience, choose a specific aspect or moment that carries personal significance. For example, how your connection with a teammate shaped your perspective on teamwork or how a particular challenge on the field taught you perseverance and resilience.

2. Share personal growth: Rather than just discussing your accomplishments or stats, emphasize how your involvement in sports has contributed to your personal growth and character development. Mention the skills and qualities you've gained and how they'll contribute to your success in college and beyond.

3. Write about a unique experience: Avoid the clichés by writing about an unusual or unexpected experience related to sports. For example, an essay could focus on how coaching a youth sports team shaped your leadership skills or how organizing a charity sports tournament benefited your community.

4. Show your passion: Make sure your genuine love for the sport comes across in your writing. This could be reflected in the vivid description of memorable moments or the enthusiasm with which you talk about your dedication and commitment to the sport.

5. Connect it to your future goals: Tie your sports experiences to your academic and career aspirations to show the admissions committee how your background in sports will contribute to your future success. For example, if you have a passion for sports science or sports management, discuss how your experiences on the field have fueled your interest in those fields.

By considering these tips, you can craft a compelling essay about your passion for sports without falling into cliché territory. Remember to make your essay personal, focused, and reflective of your personal growth, and you'll be well on your way to writing a standout sports-related essay.

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Essay About Sport Example

10 December, 2020

11 minutes read

Author:  Donna Moores

Physical development plays a critical role in sustaining a healthy living and contributing to wellbeing in the long-term. Various topics on sports are relevant for both the young generation and older individuals at all times. For one, sport is a means of maintaining an excellent physical shape and great mobility; others perceive sports as a way to unwind and get one’s mind together. Alternatively, sport might let oneself learn about self-organization and discipline and experience its positive influence on life.

Regardless of the direction and type of activity, sports always brings out only the best: a team spirit, improved physical health, emotional fulfillment, and psychological relief. Since many youngsters might underestimate the benefits of sports, it is fundamental to emphasize its crucial role in determining one’s personality, health, and wellbeing. 

How to write an essay on sports?

If you so far have a vague idea of an essay about sport but still have enough time for writing, you are on the safe side. Here is what you should do to end up with a marvelous essay about sports.

First of all, try to pick a topic that is both relevant and not boring. By ensuring that the latter is the case, you will prevent yourself from writing meaningless stuff that isn’t even interesting to read. 

There are some tips that will help you stick to an appropriate essay format and save a great deal of time. Here is what you can take into account to take better control of your essay about sport writing:

• Research for a while and make sure you find some sound pieces of literature to back on in your writing
• Draft the main goals of your essay and come up with the question you are about to find answers to 
• Draft an outline and attach comments to each section of your outline. A short comment is a helper in elaborating an idea in each part of your outline
• Pick suitable arguments for each of the body paragraphs. Try to make sure that all the statements are actually reliable and relevant.

Make sure you prepare a piece of paper (or you may use any electronic device as an alternative) to write down your notes. It is always better to keep your drafts in a single place so that you don’t get lost in multiple notes. 

Sports Essay Topics 

If you want your next essay on sports to be an ultimate success, try picking a topic that will sound intriguing and be easy to comprehend at the same time. Below, we’ve listed a few indeed attention-grabbing topics that will be easy for you to elaborate on: 

• How regular sports correlates with a better quality of life 
• Essential skills that any type of sport requires
• Adverse effects of doping in sports 
• An example of a woman/man who went down into the history of sports
• New kinds of sports on the rise in 2021
• Sport has no gender: the women who rocked ‘male’ sports 
• The history of sports in your country
• Reasons for young generations to do sports 
• Arguments for deeming chess a sport 
• The influence of sports on mental health
• Sport and society
• The procedure of college admission for future sports students 

Structure of Essay on Sport 

Whether you are about to compose just a short essay about sport or your teacher expects you to develop a complex paper, the structure always remains similar. If you want to craft a useful outline that will prove its efficiency during the writing process, you first need to learn what the structure of an essay about sport looks like. Below we’ve listed the critical components of such an essay.

Introduction 

At this point, you are free to provide any piece of information that will sound convincing to the reader. This might be some statistical data, a historical fact, or a quote. Remember, your task is to encourage your reader to go through your essay and read it till the end. At the end of your paper, you will need to mention a thesis statement: a sentence that reveals what you will be talking about further.

Body paragraphs

Body paragraphs may contain any information that relates to your topic and a thesis statement. Any fact, statistical data, or a quote will be really welcome. A typical body paragraph follows such a structure:

• The topic sentence with a key idea. 
• Substantiated topic sentence and the main argument
• An example or any fact to make the opinion sound reasonable

In the last paragraph, just summarize the main points of your essay. You may briefly restate your introductory statements and explain how each of the body parts supports your thesis. Usually, there is only one thing you need to avoid in conclusion: repetitions. 

Problems with writing Your Essay About Sport? Try our Professional Essay Writer Service!

Essay Example 

The role of sports in promoting good mental health 

Sports is something that most people cannot imagine their everyday living without. The notion of sport had evolved in ancient times before the Olympic games in Greece started to take place. After the second industrial revolution, sport has become an extensively popular and admired subject in almost any school. As a means of entertainment and, at the same time, a way to relieve tension and move one’s energy in a good direction, the sport has always been associated with individual growth and physical health maintenance. These days, schoolers, students, adults, and older people engage themselves in a variety of sports activities for different reasons. But regardless of the purpose, all of them definitely achieve one target – better mental health. Indeed, performing sports activities regularly contributes to improved mental health by reducing stress, promoting a team spirit and social inclusion, and preventing depression. 

Engaging oneself in a sports activity is positively correlated with better social inclusion. In essence, sport is a team activity, which means that doing a particular kind of sports implies interaction with other individuals. Building social contacts while engaging in sports is exciting and easy: finding common ground with teammates or a sports partner is not complicated since you already share at least one significant interest. A recent study by British scientists suggests that individuals who did sports during their school years show higher social inclusion levels and can easily make new acquaintances in adult age. This means that sport plays a critical role in defining an individual’s future behavior in socializing with other people. And since sports promotes an ability to better engage in social groups and  make new acquaintances, it also contributes to an individual’s mental health. As long as humans live in a community and need communication for a healthy and happy living, sports is the key. 

Regular physical activity does not let stress accumulate and negatively influence one’s mental health. The reason why people experience less stress if they give preference to working out on a regular basis is endorphins production. Endorphins are particular neurotransmitters that a human brain produces as a result of physical activity. Neurotransmitters promote good feelings and make it harder for various stress factors to irritate oneself. Additionally, endorphins produced by a body while performing a sports activity promote a better quality of sleep. The latter, in its turn, leads to significant stress reduction as well. Apart from a guaranteed stress reduction, sports activities reduce the adverse effects of stress. Hence, one can come to the conclusion that since stress is an inevitable and highly annoying phenomenon, it is critical to seek preventative measures, and sports seems to cope with the issue of stress and constant tension brilliantly. Therefore, a moderate workout contributes to one’s mental health in the long term.  

Finally, sport has been proven to be one of the most potent remedies for depression. According to what clinicians claim, depression impacts both mental and physical health way worse than diabetes. Therefore, depression is a condition that needs treatment. However, it is highly possible to prevent depression just by exercising and adding some sport to one’s daily routine. Sports influence the human brain almost in the same way that medical drugs do: it promotes the brain’s better capacity to absorb serotonin. Not less important, sport activities contribute to nerve cell growth and prevent cells in the hippocampus from dying. Besides, physical activity has been found to improve self-esteem, which in turn improves body image and self-perception. Overall, a regular sport activity can not only guarantee depression alleviation but also prevent further disorders that have to do with psyche. 

All in all, sports can reasonably be deemed a natural remedy not only against physical but also multiple mental conditions. Just by performing moderate exercises a few times a week, one can make their life go in a different, healthier direction. Performing sports activities can reasonably promote stress-free life since exercising influences endorphins production in the brain. Additionally, a regular sport promotes better social inclusion and facilitates communication with peers. Finally, regular exercises serve as a solution to depression. It is critical to preserve one’s mental health, so working out is something to begin with straightaway.

Write an Essay with HandmadeWriting

While writing an essay about sport, it is essential to find the balance between the topic’s complexity and reader engagement. In other words, a winning essay about sport neither has a primitive subject, nor it covers a very specific and potentially boring sports topic. If this sounds quite complicated for you or if you merely have other reasons for leaving your writing for better times, you may get your paper done with HandmadeWriting . We are always available to assist you with your paper promptly. All you need to do is go to our website, submit paper instructions, and take care of yourself while we are taking care of your paper. 

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Essay on Importance of Sports for Students and Children

500+ words essay on importance of sports.

First of all, Sport refers to an activity involving physical activity and skill . Here, two or more parties compete against each other. Sports are an integral part of human life and there is great importance of sports in all spheres of life. Furthermore, Sports help build the character and personality of a person. It certainly is an excellent tool to keep the body physically fit. Most noteworthy, the benefits of Sports are so many that books can be written.  Sports have a massive positive effect on both the mind and body.

Physical Benefits of Sports

First of all, Sports strengthen the heart. Regular Sports certainly make the heart stronger. Hence, Sport is an excellent preventive measure against heart diseases . This certainly increases the life expectancy of individuals. Furthermore, a healthy heart means a healthy blood pressure.

Sports involve physical activity of the body. Due to this physical activity, blood vessels remain clean. Sports reduces the amount of cholesterol and fats in the body. This happens because of the increase of flexibility of the wall of the blood vessels. The flexibility increases due to physical exertion, which is the result of Sports.

Furthermore, the sugar level in blood also gets lower thanks to Sports. The sugar certainly does not accumulate in the blood due to physical activity.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

A person experiences a good quality of breathing because of Sports. Sports strengthen the lungs of the body. Sports certainly escalate the lung capacity and efficiency of the body. Hence, more oxygen enters the blood which is extremely beneficial. Furthermore, there are fewer chances of developing lung diseases due to Sports.

Appropriate body weight is easy to maintain because of sports. A Sports playing person probably does not suffer from obesity or underweight problems. Sports certainly help the body remain fit and slim.

Furthermore, Sports also improves the quality of bones. A person who plays sports will have strong bones even in old age. Several scientific research reports that Sports prevent many diseases. For example, many researchers conclude that Sports prevent the development of cancer.

Other Benefits of Sports

Sport is certainly an excellent tool to build self-confidence . Playing Sports increases confidence to talk properly. A sport certainly improves the skills of communicating with others. Furthermore, the person experiences confidence in sitting, standing, and walking properly. Hence, Sports enriches the social life of an individual.

Sports bring discipline in life. It certainly teaches the values of dedication and patience. Sports also teach people how to handle failure. Furthermore, the importance of following a time schedule is also present in Sports.

Above all, Sports improves the thinking ability of individuals. Sports certainly sharpen the mind. Children who play Sports probably perform better at exams than those who don’t.

Finally, Sports reduces the stress of mind . A Sports playing person would certainly experience less depression. Sports ensure the peace of mind of those playing it. Most noteworthy, Sports brings happiness and joy in the life of individuals.

A sport is an aspect of human life that is of paramount importance. It certainly increases the quality of human life. Sports must be made mandatory in schools. This is because it is as important as education. Everyone must perform at least one Sport activity on a regular basis.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Types of Sports — Playing Sports: The Importance

Playing Sports: The Importance

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Published: Mar 20, 2024

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Physical health benefits, mental and emotional well-being, social benefits, educational and cognitive development.

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• The Palace of Sport

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Subject essay: Lewis Siegelbaum

The opening in 1956 of Moscow’s Luzhniki Sports Complex, located at the southern bend of the Moscow river, was the symbolic culmination of the massive transformations undergone by the entire country. By the mid-1950s, Soviet society was nearly half urban and almost universally literate. The expansion of higher education and technical training had created a more complex and articulated society, as new groups of technical specialists, middle-level bureaucrats and intellectuals emerged. Through improvements in transportation and communication, even those in rural areas were drawn into the vortex of an urban-based culture. Moreover, the reduction of the work-day from eight to seven hours and (for some) the work week from six to five days meant more leisure time. All these changes, then, created possibilities for the growth of spectator sports, which, in the Soviet Union, meant first and foremost soccer, and secondly, hockey.

The Luzhniki Complex contained soccer fields, running tracks, a swimming stadium, and basketball, volleyball, tennis courts. Its crowning glory was Lenin Stadium, which, with a capacity of 103,000, was one of the largest stadiums in the world. While Dinamo, the favorite soccer team of Moscow workers, continued to play its home games at its own stadium, Dinamo’s rival, Spartak, moved to Luzhniki. In the fall of 1956, the Palace of Sport opened just west of Lenin Stadium. This was a large 14,000-seat indoor arena, comparable to most North American facilities in size and amenities. Containing only the second artificial rink in the Soviet Union, it served as the venue for the most important games of Moscow’s several first-division hockey teams.

Over the next decade a wave of construction of stadiums and palaces of sport swept the Soviet Union. If in 1952, the USSR had 1,020 stadiums seating more than 1,500 spectators, then by 1960, the number had grown to 2,407 and by 1968 to 3,065 such structures. Spectatorship correspondingly expanded, though not necessarily to the financial advantage of teams, which remained dependent on relatively modest state budgetary allocations rather than ticket sales, television revenues, or apparel sales.

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✍️Essay on Festivals: Samples in 150, 250 Words

• Updated on  
• Nov 2, 2023

Festivals are the special occasions celebrated in every religion and country to follow their tradition . They are generally celebrated worldwide to pay tribute to God and Goddesses and to spread joy and positivity. India, known for its diversity and multiculturalism celebrates many festivals throughout the year. Festivals are the best part of the year as they contribute to the unity of the nation and add prosperity to the life of the people. India celebrates different categories of festivals such as regional festivals, seasonal festivals , annual festivals, and national festivals. Stay tuned and read the following essay on festivals!

Also Read: Speech on Dussehra in English

 Essay on Festivals of India 200 Words

Festivals in India are celebrated with great zeal. Indian festivals are worth witnessing as they are the most popular and colourful festivals. Be it Holi, the Queen Festival of Colours or Diwali the festival of crackers and rangoli, all are marked with great historical significance that tells about Indian Mythology. One of the most popular and biggest festivals in the world, Kumbh Mela, is also celebrated in India, where millions of devotees gather to offer their prayers.

Every festival has its own story and belief. People follow and respect their traditional values and do fasting on festivals like Chhath Puja , Govardhan Puja , Bhai Dooj , and Karwachauth. All these Indian festivals play an important role in uniting people belonging to different cultures in the same society. 

Apart from these festivals, Onam, Dussehra , Christmas, New Year, Raksha Bandha, etc are also celebrated in India. Republic Day , Gandhi Jayanti , and Independence Day are the National festivals of India which are government holidays in the Indian Calendar. 

Religious festivals include Eid-Ul-Fitr which ends with Ramadan celebrated by the Muslim community, Guru Nanak Jayanti held on 27 November 2023 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji celebrated by Sikhs, and Christmas celebrated on 25 December every year by Christians. 

Also Read: Why is Onam Celebrated: The Festival of Joy in Kerala 

Essay in Festivals 250 Words

India’s rich diversity and festivals unite people from different backgrounds. It joins people from different states and religions in a single thread for the celebration. Every occasion in India and different countries is celebrated with happiness and joy. Festivals bring joy and prosperity and create a sense of oneness.

The Kumbh Mela is one of the largest festivals in the world, which takes place at four pilgrimage sites in India; Ujjain, Prayagraj, Haridwar and Nashik. On this occasion, devotees take a ritual dip in the holy rivers of Shipra in Ujjain, Ganga-Yamuna-Sarasvati in Prayagraj, the Ganges in Hardwar, and Godavari in Nasik.

People follow the tradition of exchanging sweets and gifts on special occasions. National festivals are marked as Government holidays such as 2 October celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti, 26 January celebrated as Republic Day, and 15 August celebrated as Independence Day.

One thing which you find common in all festivals is cleaning the house, decorating, and worshipping God. Festivals are auspicious occasions that bring good health, wealth, joy, and prosperity into the lives of people. 

Apart from the National festivals, Pongal, Onam, Baisakhi and Bihu celebrated in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Punjab and Assam respectively are the seasonal festivals celebrated with very high energy by the people of that particular state. Farmers in India worship God and Goddess of agriculture on such seasonal festivals to seek their blessings and wish for good yields for the successive years.

Thus, the festivals in the given essay on festivals tell about various cultures and diversity in a particular country and about the customs followed by the people in festivals to make them grand and happening.

Also Read: Importance of Makar Sankranti

Relevant Blogs

Festivals hold a significant role in the human life. They are important to continue the traditional culture, religion, and practices of that particular religion and region. It plays a key role in uniting people and filling up the communication gaps thereby increasing the social dependency of people.

Festivals are extraordinary events celebrated to commemorate the traditions followed by our ancestors. It holds a significant role in joining the society and passing on the traditions to the future generations. They create an ambience of positivity, joy, and prosperity all around. Every region and religion follows their own festivals worldwide. 

Festivals are the source of happiness. They are the best part of the year. Festivals are celebrated with people belonging to different cultures and religions and it helps in uniting them and enjoying the feeling of oneness and togetherness. 

Here are 10 lines on why we celebrate festivals: Festivals are a chance for everyone to unite for a cause; It is considered auspicious to conduct prayers and worship God and Goddess. ; People of different religions follow different customs and practices to celebrate festivals.; Festivals create a happy atmosphere all around; In India, people celebrate many festivals throughout the year; Holi and Diwali are the two main festivals in India; Decorating the surroundings, cleaning the house, worshipping god, wearing new clothes, and sharing good wishes, and gifts are some of the important elements of any festival; Festivals are considered incomplete without sweets; The special occasion builds friendship among the people and increases interdependency; These special days are celebrated with utmost pomp and enthusiasm. 

For more information on such interesting topics, visit our essay writing page and follow Leverage Edu .

Kajal Thareja

Hi, I am Kajal, a pharmacy graduate, currently pursuing management and is an experienced content writer. I have 2-years of writing experience in Ed-tech (digital marketing) company. I am passionate towards writing blogs and am on the path of discovering true potential professionally in the field of content marketing. I am engaged in writing creative content for students which is simple yet creative and engaging and leaves an impact on the reader's mind.

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Our school sports festival (අපේ පාසලේ ක්‍රීඩා උත්සවය)

Ape pasale krida uthsawaya sinhala essay

Roshini Navodya Egalle Grade 9 Holy Family Convent Kaluthara

Our school sports festival

We are always stuck in the book and did not participate in any other external activities. Therefore, the government has instructed all schools in the country to hold a sports festival every year to eliminate this system or pattern of working, in the same way, every day.

So before this sports festival or sports festival, we were selected for different sports, and each showed other talents. Accordingly, the teacher in charge of the house and the sisters also chose. We added a lot to our lives through the sports festival. Attributes such as leadership, team spirit, unity, etc. As the most important thing in life, we have to face both victory and defeat in everything. The fundamental human qualities are to face both situations equally.

Our sports festival was to be held on the 7th of February. So we did our training and got ready for the sports festival. In the days before the Games, children were selected for the finals by holding various sports events. So the days went by like water. Gradually, February 7, the most important day of our school, approached the day of the sports festival.

So we all came to school on Friday, February 7 at 12 noon with great pleasure. However, the fear that was hidden in that happiness was also spreading in the minds of all of us. We attended a prayer. After that, everyone lined up at the Holy Cross Stadium and left. The sports festival began. The whole school echoed with enthusiastic voices. That was the end of the sports festival. The results were presented after the demonstrations. The first place went to Leonid House, the second place to Marshall House, the third place to Sholio House and the fourth place to Loyala House.

After that, all the winners and losers congratulated each other, dancing and singing. With that joy, the sports festival ended.

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• What the <i>Black Twitter</i> Docuseries Gets Wrong

What the  Black Twitter  Docuseries Gets Wrong

B lack Twitter will not save us for what’s to come. As the days towards the 2024 presidential election draw near and the rage-filled screams of college students fill the halls of the nation’s most prestigious institutions, the United States finds itself at a crossroads. Will the most powerful country in the world revert back to when Donald Trump won the White House, or will we vote for Joe Biden to maintain his stronghold? This is the question that every American must answer before and on November 5.

If the everyday American (specifically the everyday Black American) was undecided about which candidate to vote for, it only takes one watch of Black Twitter: A People’s History , a three part docuseries based on journalist Jason Parham’s 2021 WIRED article “ A People’s History of Black Twitter ,” to understand that we must vote for Biden.

The series attempts to archive, document, and chronicle the force that is known as Black Twitter, two words that have been used to characterize Black digital life on the social media platform. It’s a platform that the series will remind you was not created by Black people, but brought into prominence by the attitudes, mannerisms, and behaviors of Black users on Twitter. But despite incessant commentary about how Black people are not a monolith, the docuseries—in its attempt to associate the Black Twitter community with an era that supposedly no longer exists—ultimately treats Black Twitter as such.

Creation is at the core of the series’ story. The words of Amiri Baraka’s " Technology & Ethos " essay are repeated and paraphrased throughout the three-part series in a fashion similar to a mother reading her child’s favorite tall tale before tucking them into bed. The essay opens with the following: “Machines (as Norbert Weiner said) are an extension of their inventor-creators. That is not simple once you think. Machines, the entire technology of the West, is just that, the technology of the West.” Baraka continues: “Nothing has to look or function the way it does. The West man’s freedom, unscientifically got at the expense of the rest of the world’s people, has allowed him to xpand his mind–spread his sensibility wherever it cdgo, & so shaped the world, & its powerful artifact-engines.”

The next line is where Black Twitter, or more broadly the relationship between Black people and technology, come into play. “Political power is also the power to create—not only what you will—but to be freed to go where ever you can go—(mentally physically as well). Black creation—creation powered by the Black ethos brings very special results.”

In the case of both Twitter the platform and also Twitter the company—where Black people acquired leadership positions at one of the fastest growing tech companies in the world, used their presence online to enact change in the areas of racial justice and police reform, and increased diversity and representation from Hollywood to Silicon Valley and everywhere in between—what did those very special results bring? That answer is complicated, and one that the docuseries tries to grapple with but falls short.

As seen in the series, #OscarsSoWhite corrected a decades long practice of exclusion by the Academy and created opportunities for actors of color to receive membership into the voting body that decides the Oscars. In the nine years since the hashtag’s creation, gradual efforts were made towards greater representation on screen. Yet, the subsequent mass exodus of women of color in Hollywood leadership positions and the low number of films directed by women and people of color seems to contradict the docuseries’ overarching narrative of a hashtag's singular impact. Yes, the hashtag narrative as an idiom to bring forth change is powerful, but the counter response to them is just as telling.

The most blatant example of this is the #BlackLivesMatter portion of the docuseries. The docuseries chronicles the pivotal role Twitter played in the rise of citizen journalism, particularly during the murders of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Eric Garner. It also looks at the creation of #SayHerName, a social media response to the erasure of Black women, such as Sandra Bland, and Black trans women, like Mya Hall, who lost their lives to police violence, but were often overlooked by the male-centered BLM movement.

This is where Baraka is felt the most: Black creators have harnessed the power of technology, in order to counteract the West’s political power, which puts them in danger of losing their lives. Minute after minute, frame after frame, the docuseries asks the viewer to bear witness to the ways in which Black Twitter, through the creation and utilization of hashtags, on-the-ground reporting, and 24/7 news coverage, has long been victimized by police violence.

But like Baraka said, the machine is an extension of its inventor-creator, and the creator, or in this case the executive producers of the docuseries, have a hand in its invention. It's a creation that feels foreign to those who birthed and have maintained Black Twitter as a living and breathing cultural archive of Black digital life. A life that has no singular partisan belief or political agenda. A life that, in many ways, bites the hand of the docuseries creators. It’s a hand that delicately weaves the ascension of Barack Obama to the presidency with the birth and rise of Black Twitter. The two are in a covenant of holy matrimony.

Just ask Brad Jenkins, former associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, who frequently appears throughout the docuseries. Or Carri Twigg, the former Associate Director of Public Engagement of the White House, who serves as one of the series’ executive producers. There is no direct mention that the Black Lives Matter movement started under the Obama administration—or acknowledgment of the overwhelming collective action by Black students at the University of Missouri during that time, as well as the solidarity actions that occurred across college campuses in the U.S.

The series goes on to connect the rise of misinformation, the proliferation of Russian bots, and the 2016 election of Donald Trump as a reaction to the Obama presidency and Black Twitter. In fact, the series’ somber moments—where anti-Black sentiment is seen in reports of algorithms being altered to increase traffic towards users that display racist and misogynistic behaviors online, and clips of white women calling the police to inflict harm and violence on Black people for simply living — are linked to the Trump portion of the series. But that is ahistorical in and of itself because Black women have been calling attention to the ways in which they are subjected to anti-Black violence and harassment online since the 1990s . BBQ Becky is just Carolyn Bryant by another name.

Read More: Twitter Offers More Transparency on Racist Abuse by Its Users, but Few Solutions

If the Obama years of Black Twitter were fun, the docuseries posits, the Trump years of Black Twitter were hell. From the COVID-19 pandemic to the global uprisings over the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the year 2020 within the docuseries is marked by culture shifts towards violence, including the misogynoir Megan Thee Stallion experienced online after she came forward about being physically assaulted by Tory Lanez. The year is also peppered with glimmers of a Black Twitter of yesteryear: a communal moment of gathering to live tweet “Verzuz” challenges or to watch The Last Dance as a family. Communal moments that are thought to be associated with the Obama administration.

And just like that, the docuseries pivots to showcase the Black voters in South Carolina, who are thanked for their votes for Biden in the 2020 election. Biden is even described as Obama’s right hand man. It is in this moment that the series wants the audience to remember the joy of the Obama years, the hope of the Obama years, and most importantly, the impact of Black voters in the Obama years.

I do not mean to spoil the climax of the 2020 section of the docuseries, but Biden won and Elon Musk replaced Trump as the villain of the series. Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, now known as X, is met with despair, exodus, and rage. Efforts to humble and humiliate Musk are flashed across the screen as former Black employees at Twitter in one-on-one interviews discuss the destruction of their years of labor and hard work to diversify the platform. Black academics, celebrities, and personalities lament as they say a goodbye to the good days of Twitter. Mastodon, BlueSky, Spill, LinkedIn, and of course TikTok are depicted as places of solace for Black users who feel unwelcome on X. (X has since eliminated any protections for marginalized and disenfranchised users on the platforms.)

Four years after the election of Biden to the presidency and with the forthcoming election looming, the series bids Black Twitter adieu with the foresight that Black people will always continue to innovate, despite not being given the tools or resources to create. This is exemplified by a reference to soul food, and a call to action to create our own archives—the thesis of Black Twitter: A People’s History.

But what Black Twitter fails to realize—and simply can’t capture—is that we are not in 2008 anymore. Or 2012. Or 2020. The Obama coalition is dead. The Biden coalition is falling apart by the day and culturally resonant programming falls flat compared to the citizen-led reporting that is coming to life in front of our very eyes. Just look at the actions of the student journalists at WKCR , the Columbia University radio station that covered the raid of Hamilton Hall by the New York Police Department. Or the wave of anti-war protests by Black students at HBCUs. Guess where these students learned how to organize from? Black Twitter. They’re not just archiving their own stories—they’re creating them.

But that’s the flaw of content like this. It doesn’t have the capacity to capture the legacy of a movement because it’s a movement that isn't over. It is still unfurling—still morphing and coming to life in front of our very eyes. These are children who came of age on Black Twitter. They’re still using those tools to make us laugh, to inspire change, to create community.

If there is anyone who will save us (and in turn, if there’s anything worth saving), it's them. Not Black Twitter.

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Chiefs te travis kelce curated the music lineup for 'kelce jam' festival, share this article.

‘Kelce Jam’ will return to Kansas City on Saturday, May 18th, for the second consecutive year, bringing music, food, and fun. Medium Rare and Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowler Travis Kelce are collaborating to bring over 20,000 fans of all ages with a musical guest list of the top names in the industry.

Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke to Medium Rare founders Joe Silberzweig and Adam Richman about Travis Kelce’s lineup for ‘Kelce Jam,’ featuring Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, and Diplo.

“Travis is here curating the lineup. These were names that he sought after, and he knew that they were not only his favorites but also that they had a good pulse on the city,” Richman explained. “Things would be great names for him to bring the KC, and he wants to bring a mix of hip-hop and electronic music. And I think we did a good balancing act by Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, and Diplo on the electronic side.

“He has his fingers on the city’s pulse and can call in favors against legends that may not have come otherwise. I don’t think Lil Wayne has been in Kansas City for quite some time. (He) may not have come, but when Travis Kelce calls, you answer. That’s proven here, with Lil Wayne being such an iconic legend coming and showing out for ‘Kelce Jam’ because of his and Travis’ relationship.”

There's more than "A Milli" reasons to celebrate this year at Kelce Jam Presented by @JimBeam with @LilTunechi headlining 🤩🎤 Tickets are 90% SOLD OUT – get yours while you still can at https://t.co/n8it6vFwOc ! pic.twitter.com/5TV5kGo44c — Kelce Jam (@KelceJam) April 23, 2024

Rick Ross, MGK, and Tech N9ine were the headliners last year, and this year’s group looks to build on the inaugural lineup . The music choices from Kelce have focused again on being something everyone can enjoy in Kansas City.

“What was important for Travis is making this festival feel like it’s for everyone and that younger, old, moving families want to come out,” said Silberzweig. “No matter what your tastes are, this festival is for the masses. This is for the people of KC. They get started at $49, And the musical lineup speaks to that, right? It’s a little bit of everything. We have some local DJs opening and building throughout the evening with our headliners.

Cut loose with @diplo at Kelce Jam presented by @JimBeam ! The Grammy Award-winning DJ and producer will take the party to new heights with his unforgettable set 🎊🔊🕺 Ticket Prices Increase Friday – Buy Now at https://t.co/n8it6vFwOc ! pic.twitter.com/83vzRKxj6I — Kelce Jam (@KelceJam) April 30, 2024

“Still, we tried to make sure that these are huge names that everybody knows and that, as Adam said, some icons people can sing along to but also show some a Travis style and bring on Diplo, a cool name to get the party going.”

Check out their official websites for more information on  Kelce Jam  and  Medium Rare .

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Monmouth Park 2024: The return of 'Jersey Joe' Bravo, plus opening day info

OCEANPORT – The words were pointed, as jockey Joe Bravo emerged as an outspoken critic in 2021 when the New Jersey Racing Commission imposed the toughest restrictions on whip use in the country.

Caught in the middle was Monmouth Park, where he won 13 riding titles and was suddenly part of a boycott by some top riders, with the fracture between “Jersey Joe” and the Jersey Shore racetrack he became synonymous with remaining even after national standards on whip use went into effect.

The 52-year-old Bravo relocated to the Southern California circuit for three years. But he spent the winter in Florida at Gulfstream Park, setting the stage for his return to Monmouth Park full-time this summer, beginning with Saturday’s opening day card, when a crowd of 7.686 came out for the 10-race card.

“I never really had a problem with Monmouth Park during the whole conflict, it was more the New Jersey Racing Commission,” Bravo said. “I don’t know how they feel about me here but I’m glad to be home."

And next week he’ll ride longshot Mugatu in the Preakness for trainer Jeff Engler, looking for his first win in a Triple Crown race in a career that’s spanned 36 years, with his mounts winning 5,659 times and earning over $200 million on the track.

More: Behind-the-scenes changes at Monmouth Park come at critical time for NJ horse racing

“I rode him at Gulfstream when he broke his maiden down there and you could see a lot of potential. You could see he was just a baby trying to grow up and getting better and better,” said Bravo, with Mugatu running fifth in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes last time out.

Stakes specialist

In his past life as a local, Bravo was the go-to guy on some really good horses, winning 58 graded stakes between 2015-18, including 14 Grade 1 races, and won his first Breeders’ Cup race in 2019. He won the Grade 1 United Nations and Grade 3 Molly Pitcher on Haskell Day 2020.

Now Bravo parachutes back into a room deep with talent, including 10-time riding champion Paco Lopez, who battled Irad and Jose Ortiz at the top of the Gulfstream jockey standings over the winter. Bravo rode 15 races at Monmouth Park in 2022 between the Santa Anita and Del Mar meets, but that’s it since 2020.

Jairo Rendon, who finished third in the rider's standings last summer, won the opening race of the meet, guiding Little Ni to an allowance victory for trainer Eddie Owens Jr.

“That was then, and now we have to collect horses, and it’s going to be challenging because there are a lot of riders,” said Cory Moran, the agent for both Bravo and Lopez.

“Joe is more selective these days. He likes to ride for the big outfits, the allowance and stakes races and has done well.”

Building business

Bravo has two mounts on Saturday, and is aboard the Michael Pino-trained colt Evening News in the $100,000 Long Branch Stakes, his first race at Monmouth Park since Fourth of July 2022.

“This is a last-minute thing,” said Bravo. “Remember that you still have Oaklawn finishing up and Tampa horses that still haven’t been on the grounds yet. I think you are going to see the entries get stronger as the summer goes along.

“I was in California and it came down to did I want to spend another winter racing in California. It’s lovely racing, but four days a week there’s really no other racetracks to go to and so the racing is limited. So I took the opportunity to call my old agent (Cory Moran) and I went to Gulfstream this year. And when it comes to summertime, where do you go? Monmouth Park. It’s pretty cool.”

As for his chances in the Preakness, Bravo points to Mugatu’s last race in the Blue Grass, finishing fifth behind Sierra Leone, who lost the Kentucky Derby by a nose to Mystik Dan, with Joe Talamo in the saddle.

“I fell in love with him,” Bravo said. “Just look at Blue Grass. A couple things could have gone differently for him, and he was only beaten 7 ½ lengths. That puts us in the game, and if some things work out who knows. You have to be in it to win it.”

Sea Streak wins $100,000 Long Branch Stakes

As trainer Eddie Owens Jr. was being congratulated trackside in the immediate aftermath of Sea Streak’s impressive victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Long Branch Stakes, he declared to no one in particular, “don’t let the N.J. fool you.”

And while becoming the second Jersey-bred ever to win the Haskell Stakes – Thanks to Tony won it in 1981 - is still a long way off, the Holly Crest Farm homebred does get free admission to the $1 million Grade 1 fixture with the victory.  

Owens indicated Sea Streak, who came in off a second in a Gulfstream Park allowance race on March 29, would be pointed towards the $150,000 NYRA Bets Pegasus Stakes on Haskell Preview Day on June 15.

Ridden by Jairo Rendon, Sea Streak stalked the pace through a half-mile and then took charge, pulling away to beat favorite Heartened by 7 ½ lengths in the mile and 70-yard test.

Sea Streak had been on the Triple Crown trail until a seventh-place finish in the grade 3 Holy Bull at Gulfstream.

“I got too big with him early and he was green, running green. Today he put it all together,” Owens said. “He’s for real - It was a perfect trip. We had a little speed on the outside of us.

“After that allowance race I talked to Jose Ortiz and he said to run him two turns.”

IF YOU GO ...

Where: 175 Oceanport Ave., Oceanport N.J.

When: 12:50 p.m. post time for the first race, with 10 races in all.

Parking: Free

Admission: $6 grandstand and clubhouse

The meet: Monmouth Park will race 51 days through Sept. 15, running Saturdays, Sundays and Memorial Day in May, Friday, Saturday and Sunday in June, July and August, and two days a week, plus Labor Day, in September.

Festival Calendar

May 25-27 – Jersey Shore Food Truck Festival

June 9 – NJ Irish Festival

June 29-20 – Win & Wine Weekend

June 7 – Classic Car & Oldies Day

July 20: Haskell Day

July 27-28 – Italian Festival & Wine Tasting

Aug. 4 Latin Festival: Tacos & Tequila

Aug. 10: Bags, Banks & Beer: Cornhole Tournament

Aug. 17-18: Surf & Turf Seafood Festival

Aug. 31-Sept. 2 – BBQ & Craft Beer Festival

Sept. 7 – Food Trucktemberfest

Music + Concerts | 10 songs from 10 bands playing the Cruel World…

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Music + concerts, music + concerts | 10 songs from 10 bands playing the cruel world festival in pasadena, think of this as a cruel compilation album with the 10 tunes you have to hear on saturday..

Recent Rock Hall of Fame inductees Duran Duran headline the festival this year, with Blondie , another Hall of Fame act, on the main stage before them. Other icons of the MTV age such as Adam Ant , Simple Minds, and Gary Numan are on the bill. A younger generation of similarly inclined artists, including Interpol and Dreamcar , will also appear.

Release of the set times last week, and the obvious conflicts they confirmed, had pale-faced, black-clad fans wringing their hands in existential despair.

Do you pick the Motels, General Public, or the Mission UK in the midafternoon time slots on Outsiders, Lost Boys and Sad Girls stages? Do you stick with Adam Ant and Soft Cell on the main stage or dash off to Simple Minds and miss some of each? Blondie or Interpol? Duran Duran or the reunion after 40 years of cult favorites Tones on Tail?

Duran Duran will headline the 2024 Cruel World festival in Pasadena on Saturday, May 11. Seen here are John Taylor, left, and Simon Le Bon, right, performing during the their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at Microsoft Theater on Nov. 5, 2022 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

Gary Numan will play his solo debut “The Pleasure Principle” at Cruel World festival in Pasadena on Saturday, May 11, 2024. He’s seen here in 2013 at Santa Ana’s Observatory. (File photo by DAVID HALL, CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER)

Dave Wakeling of The English Beat performs in Texas in 2019. He brings his other band, General Public, to play the Cruel World festival in Pasadena on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO / AFP via Getty Images)

The Jesus and Mary Chain will play Cruel World festival in Pasadena on Saturday, May 11, 2024. Seen here is Jim Reid, lead singer of Jesus and Mary Chain, at he Corona Capital music festival in Mexico City, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Al Jourgensen of Ministry performs in Las Vegas in 2019. He and Ministry will play songs from their first two albums, “With Sympathy” and “Twitch,” at Cruel World festival in Pasadena on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Singer Brian Molko of Placebo performs in France in 2023. Placebo comes to Cruel World festival in Pasadena on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Photo by ANNA KURTH/AFP via Getty Images)

The Scottish band Simple Minds perform in France in 2022. They come to Cruel World festival in Pasadena on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Photo by Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/AFP via Getty Images)

Guitarist Daniel Ash performs with Bauhaus at Cruel World Festival at Brookside Park in Pasadena, Calif., on Saturday, May 14, 2022. Ash returns to Cruel World on Saturday, May 11, 2024 to perform with his band Tones on Tail. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

Blondie’s Debbie Harry performs on the Sad Girls stage during the Cruel World Festival at Brookside Park in Pasadena, Calif., on Saturday, May 14, 2022. Blondie returns to play Cruel World on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

Never fear, this old new waver is here to guide you through the essentials of the day. Think of this as a Cruel compilation album with the 10 tunes you have to hear on Saturday.

1) Duran Duran, ‘Hungry Like the Wolf’: If there’s one set at Cruel World where you’re going to know every single song, it’s this one. From early singles “Planet Earth” and “Girls On Film” to later hits such as “Ordinary World” and their cover of Melle Mel’s “White Lines (Don’t Do It),” there’s nothing but sing-along bops here. “ Hungry Like the Wolf” is our pick, just edging out “Rio” as the ultimate expression of Duran Duran’s sexy, seductive grooves.

2) Blondie, ‘Dreaming’: Here’s another set where you’ll know all the tunes. Blondie’s catalog includes such songs as “Call Me,” “One Way or Another,” and “Hanging on the Telephone.” Heck, even “Maria,” released in 1999, long after the band’s peak, is a terrific tune. “Dreaming” gets the nod, though, with its soaring ABBA-meets-Wall of Sound melodies behind singer Debbie Harry’s vocals and drummer Clem Burke’s frantic beat beneath both.

3) Tones on Tail, ‘Go!’: Guitarist Daniel Ash and drummer Kevin Haskins are playing Cruel World with their third different band in three years. They played with their original band Bauhaus in 2022, and last year in Love and Rockets, their side project with Bauhaus’ Daniel J. Now Ash and Haskins have reformed Tones on Tail, with Haskin’s daughter Diva Dompe on bass. “Go!” the band’s 1984 doom-and-gloom dance club smash is an easy pick.

4) Placebo, ‘Running Up That Hill’: The British band formed in the ’90s with an alternative rock vibe that blends several strains of ’80s music into its own thing. Songs such as “Every You Every Me,” “The Bitter End,” and “Pure Morning” are irresistible tunes. But Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” which Placebo has been closing its recent sets with, will have everyone singing.

5) Simple Minds, ‘Alive and Kicking’: The Scottish rockers have released “Promised You a Miracle” as a single five different times, so you know you’re gonna hear that. “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” was a massive ’80s hit thanks to its inclusion on the soundtrack to “The Breakfast Club,” and “All the Things She Said” is great, too. But “Alive and Kicking,” well, that’s an anthem you pretty much have to sing along to. And you will.

6) The Jesus and Mary Chain, ‘Just Like Honey’: Scottish brothers Jim and William Reid sorta created noise pop and maybe shoegaze, too, with their 1985 debut album “Psychocandy” and its blend of gorgeous melodies of noisy, feedback-drenched guitars. “Head On” is one of their greatest songs, but here the pick is the first track on the first album, which announced the arrival of something new and different.

7) Ministry, ‘Work For Love’: Singer Al Jourgensen’s Ministry plans to play songs from its first two albums, “With Sympathy” and “Twitch,” at Cruel World, and that’s a very good thing given the appeal of songs such as “Effigy (I’m Not An),” which found a new audience after it was featured on “Euphoria,” “Revenge,” and “I Wanted to Tell Her.” The dance-y groove of “Work For Love” makes it the pick this time.

8) Heaven 17, “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang”: The British synth-pop duo sometimes gets overlooked but with songs such as “Temptation,” “Let Me Go,” and “Penthouse and Pavement.” But “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” used skittering synths and liquid basslines to make its anti-fascist, anti-racist messages work just fine on the dance floor.

9) Gary Numan, ‘Cars’: The English singer-songwriter Gary Numan pioneered a chilly kind of synth rock in his band Tubeway Army. At Cruel World, he’ll play his 1979 solo debut album “The Pleasure Principle,” which boosted his career to a higher level on both sides of the Atlantic. Though he’s released other music in recent years , the single “Cars” became Numan’s biggest hit and there’s really no other choice here.

10) General Public, “Tenderness”: Singer-guitarist Dave Wakeling has played Cruel World before with the English Beat, his first band. Now he returns with the more soulful pop of General Public, which he formed with the late Ranking Roger, who was also in the Beat. He’ll probably play songs from both groups, but we’ll stick with General Public for the pick and go with the lovely “Tenderness.”

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Mick Jagger wades into politics, taking verbal jab at Louisiana state governor at performance

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, of the Rolling Stones, perform during the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

Mick Jagger, of the Rolling Stones, performs during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Thursday, May 2nd, 2024, at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

FILE - Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry addresses members of the House and Senate on opening day of a legislative special session focusing on crime, Feb. 19, 2024, in the House Chamber of the state Capitol in Baton Rouge, La. Mick Jagger briefly waded into Louisiana politics, taking a verbal jab at Landry, as The Rolling Stones performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP, File)

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Mick Jagger briefly waded into Louisiana politics, taking a verbal jab at the state’s conservative governor, as The Rolling Stones performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

The band had finished “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” during Thursday evening’s set when Jagger began talking about inclusion, according to New Orleans news outlets. “We want to include him too,” Jagger said of Gov. Jeff Landry. “Even if he wants to take us back to the Stone Age.”

Jagger didn’t mention specific policies. Landry is a Republican who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. He was the state attorney general before taking office as governor in January. He has supported controversial conservative legislation and causes including a near total abortion ban , a prohibition on gender-affirming medical care for young transgender people and harsher sentences for crimes.

Landry clapped back at the 80-year-old Jagger on social media.

“You can’t always get what you want,” he posted on X. “The only person who might remember the Stone Age is Mick Jagger. Love you buddy, you’re always welcome in Louisiana!”

Landry, 53, capped the post with #LoveMyCountryMusic.