Named the most popular sport in Russia

We see football and hockey in the news feed every day. Their importance and popularity seem undeniable. Is that so?

In fact, football and hockey in Russia have long had a competitor in terms of audience interest – this is figure skating. This is due to the fact that our skaters are among the main trendsetters in this sport and they have a lot of devoted fans who do not miss a single start. An indicator of people’s love for figure skating is the Ice Age project, which has been successfully running on Channel One for many years. The popularity of figure skating is especially high during the Olympic years, this year was no exception, everyone remembered the dramatic story of our figure skater Kamila Valieva for a long time. It is no coincidence that in the first half of 2022, the short program of figure skating among women at the Winter Olympics became the most popular sports broadcast in our country.

Another popular winter sport, besides figure skating, is biathlon, the attention to it is also traditionally high, despite the fact that in recent years our athletes have experienced a certain decline there. Skis are beginning to compete with biathlon, especially against the backdrop of the success of our skiers at the last Winter Olympics, primarily the victories of Alexander Bolshunov.

Team sports – basketball, volleyball – are also quite popular among Russians, however, bursts of attention to them are more likely to occur at some major international competitions (Olympic tournaments, world championships). Sports such as tennis and Formula 1 car racing also have a dedicated audience. These are rather niche sports, and even the great successes of our athletes – for example, Daniil Medvedev in tennis, who became the first racket of the world in February this year, do not always automatically lead to an increase in the popularity of these competitions.