Popular Sports in Russia

Many Russian people like going in for sports. Some of them just want to be healthy and fit. The others go in for sport for fun because they like active pastime. Some people relax at a sport-ground after a busy day. 
There are winter and summer sports. In winter skiing, skating and hockey are popular. In summer people prefer to swim or to play football or badminton. Some sports are good for every season, for example gymnastics, fitness, body building, table tennis or even skydiving. 
I like playing tennis and badminton. For these sports two rockets are necessary and a ball - for tennis, or a shuttlecock – for badminton. During the game one player hits the ball with his rocket to send it to the other player. The second player has to send the ball back. When some of the players miss the ball, a point is given to the other. Tennis is very popular not only in Russia. Big world tennis competitions are arranged several times a year. And in the last years Russian tennis players often win the highest awards at those competitions. 
Team sports always were popular in our country, for example football, hockey, basketball or volleyball. Earlier they were only for men, but women began to play these games too. And now there are world competitions in these sport games for both teams – a male team and a female one.
Of course, many women prefer traditional “female” sports as gymnastics, sport dances, aerobics. 
Sport fights became very popular in the last years in Russia. Children, young people and many older men go in for karate-do, dzyudo, sambo. And boxing always attracted many spectators.
There are many various sports that are popular in Russia as well in other countries.