The results of the sports year

The two main events that determined the sports component of 2014 are the Winter Olympiad in Sochi and the World Cup in Brazil

The two main events that determined the sports component of 2014 are quite obvious. However, they are repeated every two years: it is the Olympics and the World Cup or European Football. In the past year, the Olympiad was winter, and she went to Sochi. And the football world championship took place in Brazil.

It is clear that for Russian sports fans , winter games in Sochi were the highest event. Russia, which is not very characteristic of it in recent years, won the team set -off - but the second games in a row failed hockey in the quarter -finals. In general, the Russian national team still does not have a single gold medal in hockey, and this, frankly, outweighs other gold awards of games, say, in a short track, where they were won by a naturalized Korean Victor An.

The Olympics in Sochi took place at a completely high level, but the Olympic torch that had died out at the very beginning of the baton on the territory of the Kremlin became, alas, a poor omen. During games in Kyiv, events on the Maidan flared up, ending the then president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, then Crimea and Donbass have already happened, which Russia clearly did not add to Russia. Actually, Russia was preparing with all her might for the Olympics, apparently trying to increase its renom at the international level. Billions of dollars were spent on this relatively good goal. And then everything that the country managed to achieve with successful Olympic experience was crossed out by Russia itself in connection with its actions in Ukraine . Russia spends the end of the year in the most fierce economic crisis, and the fact that the Russian football Premier League is trying to “preserve” the ruble for its domestic payments on the directive order is a direct consequence of the events of the first half of the year and the international sanctions followed.

And more about football. Once again, the Russian team shamefully failed at the World Cup, unable to get out of a completely "passable" group in Brazil . The beautiful victory of the German national team in this mundial, of course, is worthy of respect, as worthy of attention and the defeat of the Brazilians at the home tournament. But for Russia, according to the consequences, everything turned out to be much more important. Let me remind you that even before the mundial began, the Russian football union literally twisted his hands, forcing him to sign a new contract with the head coach of the Fabio Capello team. After a failed tournament in Brazil, Capello began the qualifying cycle for the 2016 European Championship quite mediocre, and the RFU began financial problems, and the salary of a coach (according to rumors, very rather big) is still delayed. This conflict is now in full swing , and if Rostrud had not given the RFU to a delay until January 19, apparently, the President of the RFU Nikolai Tolstoy would have already lost its post. At the same time, the game of the Russian team, of course, is extremely depressing - and this is also a very sad result of 2014.

"Mark" Russian sport and participation in a number of doping scandals. Among their participants are masters of sports walking from the world famous center of Viktor Chegin in Saransk , biathletes Irina Starykh and Ekaterina Yuryeva, the winner of many marathons Lilia Shobukhova, champion of the London Olympiad in the average distance Maria Savinova. I must admit that doping revelations occur not only with Russian athletes, this is a scourge of all modern sports. But the constant participation of Russians in these scandals, alas, does not stop.

And in another major scandal, the name of Russia is involved. Many revelations were made about how the rights to hold the 2018 and 2022 World Cups were obtained - respectively, by Russia and Qatar. Both countries were suspected of dishonest methods , both were justified by the International Football Federation, but the scandal has not yet died down. Apparently, one should expect his new turns - revelations with evidence and so on. This story is not yet closed.

Of course, in the actual sports world there were many beautiful and vivid events. We list some of them. The first stage of the Formula-1 World Cup was held in Russia, in Sochi. In the same place, in Sochi, Norwegian Magnus Karlsen became the world champion in chess, having beaten Vichy Ananda in the title match of Indian. The Russian team in Minsk won the world hockey title. Madrid Real Madrid first won the Champions League, and then the Club World Cup. Michael Kinen became the first Canadian coach, who managed to win the main trophy of the KHL - Gagarin Cup (with Magnitogorsk Metallurg). The US team won the World Basketball Championship in Serbia. Maria Sharapova won the opening championship of France in tennis , and Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina, an open US championship in a paired category. Sports events in the world, as always, is plent to, sadly, it becomes only from the fact that the sport cannot be completely separated from politics ...

And in conclusion - sad memories. In the past year, sports Russia said goodbye to one of the most striking football players of the country Fedor Cherenkov and the great hockey coach Viktor Tikhonov . The eternal memory of the fans will remain with them forever.