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People all over the world like sport. It makes you healthier, keeps you fit and it's just a great pastime! International matches and tournaments unite nations; they play an important role in establishing good relations between countries.
In Russia a huge amount of attention was always given to sport, especially in schools, colleges and universities. You can hardly find a school without a gym or a sports ground. Every town has a few stadiums or swimming pools where local competitions are usually held. It's been a tradition in our country to divide sport into professional and amateur. A great number of world records have been set by Russian sportsmen: gymnasts, weightlifters, swimmers, figure skaters, runners, jumpers. Our sportsmen also participate in the Olympic Games and always win lot of medals.
There are also a lot of amateur clubs and keep-fit centers in Russia where people go in for yoga, body-building, aerobics, swimming, skating, jogging. 1000-s of people go to the stadium to support their favorite teams and many 1000-s more prefer to watch the games on TV.
Sport also plays an important role in the life of the British. The English are proud of fact that many sports originated in their country and then spread throughout the world. The national British sports are football, golf, cricket, table and lawn tennis, snooker, steeplechase, racing, darts. Football, the most popular game in the world, is of two kinds in Britain: association football (soccer) and rugby. Golf, one of the most popular sport in Britain, originated in Scotland. One of the most British games is cricket. It's often played in schools, colleges, universities and different clubs. To many Englishmen cricket is a game and a standard of behavior. When they consider something unfair, they sometimes say: "That's not cricket".
Horse-racing is the chief spectator sport in British life next to football. A lot of people are interested in the races. the Derby is perhaps the most famous single sporting event in the whole world. Britain is also famous for motor-car racing, dog-racing, boat-racing and even races for donkeys. A great number of people play and watch tennis. Tennis tournaments at Wimbledon are known all over the world. Table tennis also originated in England.
In the USA sport is very important too. The Americans are attracted by such sports and activities as swimming, tennis, marathons, track & field, bowling, archery, skiing, skating, squash and badminton. But the major American sports and hockey, baseball, football and basketball.
he large choice of the sports in America can be explained by the variety and size of the country and different climates. American schools and colleges use sports activities as a way of teaching social values. Among them are teamwork and sportsmanship. The average high school offers its students a great variety of sports, including rowing, wrestling, tennis and golf. Being intelligent and good at sport and regarded as things that combine well as an ideal.
As for me, I'm interested in different kinds of sports. At school we have physical training lessons twice a week. In summer I like to swim. I also do some cycling. I'm very fond of volley-ball, table tennis, badminton and snooker.
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