Starty nadezhd

USSR stamped cover dedicated to the competition, released on July 20, 1981

Starty nadezhd (Russian: Старты надежд) was the national children's multi-sport event in the USSR. Established in 1975, the competition was held between grades of all secondary schools throughout the country. Motto of the competition was "Olympians Are Among Us!" (Russian: Олимпийцы среди нас!).

Description

Soviet secondary school system

To describe competition format, first the structure of a Soviet secondary school should be overviewed. Typically about 1,000 children studied in one Soviet secondary school. Levels of education comprised 10 classes from the first to the tenth. And each class was divided into several parallel classes. They were numbered like 9 "A", 9 "B", 9 "V" and so on for parallel classes of the ninth class in this case. Usually a parallel class was also called just class. So, in one parallel class, like 9 "A" for instance, some 30 to 40 children of the same age studied together, while 9 "B" was a separate group of children, that had lessons in another time and place, although it had the same education program. Children of 10 "A" parallel class were one year older than children of 9 "A", and the education program was more advanced for them than it was for 9 "A", while children of 8 "A" were one year younger and had less advanced education program, than 9 "A".

Competition format

"Starty nadezhd" was a competition for children of classes 4th to 9th. A parallel class, like 4 "A" for instance, as one team competed in several sports with other parallel classes of the same school, like 4 "B", 4 "V". So, on the first level of the competition six best parallel classes for each secondary school of the country were determined, let's say 4 "B", 5 "A", 6 "V", 7 "A", 8 "B", 9 "A". Then, on the second level of the competition each of these parallel classes competed with corresponding best parallel classes of other secondary schools of the same district or town. Third level competition was held between best parallel classes of districts of the same oblast. The fourth level was contested between best parallel classes of oblasts of the same krai. The fifth level of the competition was held between best parallel classes of krais of the same republic. And the best parallel classes of 15 republics, i.e. 6 times 15 — about 100 teams in total, competed in the finals to determine the best parallel classes of the country.

Sports

On first four levels of the "Starty nadezhd" competition classes competed in the following sports:

athletics: running, cross-country running, push-ups, pull-ups, ball throw
gymnastics: floor exercise
swimming
shooting
tourist relay, also called tourist obstacle course

On the fifth level, the last one before the finals, in addition to these sports, children teams competed in cross-country skiing, ice hockey, football, volleyball, basketball, chess, checkers.

Finals

In the finals of the competition competed some 100 best parallel classes of 15 republics of the Soviet Union. For the first time the finals were held in Artek Young Pioneer camp in October 1976. Next four finals also were held in Artek each year in September–October until 1980. Finals sixth through ninth were held until 1987 in Orlyonok Young Pioneer camp; 1981, 1984 and 1986 were leap years. Honorary guests of "Starty nadezhd" finals were many notable Soviet athletes, Olympic champions, including Nikolai Andrianov, Valeriy Borzov, Galina Prozumenshchikova, Pyotr Bolotnikov, Elena Vaytsekhovskaya.

Winners of the finals of the competition were awarded medals, diplomas, pennants, memorable prizes.

Significance

As every school age boy and girl of the then-Soviet Union of classes 4 to 9 of secondary school could take part in "Starty nadezhd", competing in one's parallel class, the competition served as great means of popularizing sports among people, and exposing them to practicing sports, competitive activity and team spirit.

Both the idea and the name of the competition are still popular. Some competitions named "Starty nadezhd" are held in Russia and Belarus. Since 1998 "Starty nadezhd" is the name of All-Ukrainian competition of parallel classes of secondary schools which is held yearly (with some leap years, nine finals were held before 2010), with finals in Artek, where some 27 best parallel classes compete.

References

Encyclopedic Dictionary of Yound Athlete. (in Russian). Moscow: Pedagogika. 1980. pp. 387–389.
Sport of the Country of Soviets. CSDF (RCSDF). 1979. 0:05:29 minutes in. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
History of Artek: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s
History of Orlyonok

Multi-sport events

Global

Olympics	Olympic Games Summer Winter Youth Olympic Games

Continental	African Games Asian Games Summer Winter Beach Indoor and Martial Arts European Games Pacific Games Pan American Games

Associations	Commonwealth Games Inter-Allied Games¹ Island Games Jeux de la Francophonie Lusophony Games Spartakiad of Peoples of the USSR¹ World Outgames

Communities	Croatian World Games Gay Games Islamic Solidarity Games Maccabiah Games Pan Arab Games Pan-Armenian Games Women's Islamic Games¹ World Indigenous Games Worldwide Nomad Games

Disabled sport	Deaflympics Défi sportif IWAS World Games Armed forces Invictus Games Warrior Games Paralympic Games Summer Winter Special Olympics Summer Winter

Professions	Lumberjack World Championship Military World Games World Police and Fire Games

Youth and students	Asian Youth Games Australian Youth Olympic Festival Commonwealth Youth Games CPLP Games European Youth Olympic Festival Gymnasiade International Children's Games SELL Student Games Universiade World Interuniversity Games World Youth Games¹

Other sport	Dew Tour Mind Sports Olympiad SportAccord World Mind Games World Combat Games World Games X Games

Regional

Africa	African Youth Games African Games All-Africa University Games Central African Games¹

Americas	ALBA Games Bolivarian Games CANUSA Games Central American and Caribbean Games Central American Games North American Indigenous Games North American Outgames Pan American Games Parapan American Games South American Beach Games South American Games

Asia	ASEAN Civil Service Games ASEAN School Games ASEAN University Games ASEAN ParaGames Asian Beach Games Asian Games Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games Asian Indoor Games¹ Asian Martial Arts Games¹ Asian Para Games Asian Winter Games Asian Youth Games Central Asian Games Children of Asia International Sports Games¹ East Asian Games Far Eastern Games¹ South Asian Games Southeast Asian Games West Asian Games

Europe	Black Sea Games EuroGames European Games European Sports Championships European Youth Olympic Festival Games of the Small States of Europe

Oceania	Australasian Police and Emergency Services Games Micronesian Games Pacific Games

Inter-continental	Afro-Asian Games¹ Arafura Games Arctic Winter Games AsiaPacific Outgames FESPIC Games¹ Indian Ocean Island Games Mediterranean Games Nordic Games¹ Pacific Ocean Games¹ Pan Arab Games

National

Americas	Canada Quebec Western Colombia United States amateur juniors seniors

Asia	Bangladesh China All-China Games National Games of China National Peasants' Games India Indian Empire¹ Indonesia Japan Malaysia Para Mongolia Pakistan Philippines National Games Batang Pinoy Palaro Singapore South Korea Summer Winter Thailand youth Vietnam

Europe	Albania¹ Nazi Germany¹ Netherlands Poland (youth) Soviet Union (youth)¹

Oceania	Western Australia (high school)²

NCSG³	Alabama California Florida Massachusetts Missouri Montana Nebraska New York North Carolina North Dakota¹ Texas Wisconsin

Historical¹

Pre Modern Olympics (in chronological order, 1900BC–1852AD)	Tailteann Games Panhellenic Games Ancient Olympic Games Pythian Games Nemean Games Heraean Games Panathenaic Games Roman Games Cotswold Olimpick Games Gog Magog Games Wenlock Olympian Society Annual Games

Alternatives to the Modern Olympics	Aryan Games Friendship Games Games of the New Emerging Forces Goodwill Games Islamic Games Liberty Bell Classic People's Olympiad South African Games Spartakiad Workers' Olympiads

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