In 1942, the All-Union physical education festival was massively celebrated in Norilsk for the first time. It was celebrated at the first Norilsk stadium, which was still under construction at that time. The stadium was called Dynamo, but later, with the change of sports societies in Norilsk it was renamed first to Metallurg, and then to Trud.
For the first time in the history of the village, several thousand people came to the celebration. The athletes ran a trade union Komsomol cross, held volleyball and gorodki (game similar to skittles) competitions and the first football match.
The Athlete’s days were held every year on a large scale: with parades, popular at that time different figures and pyramids made of sportsmen. The realities of the 1940s also brought their colors to northern sports – military-applied competitions were an indispensable attribute.
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Text: Svetlana Samokhina, Photo: Nornickel Polar Branch archive
