World Ice Skating Day

For winter hunting and to save energy when moving on ice, the ancestors of modern Swedes and other Europeans used bone runners The first skates with steel blades appeared in Holland in the 12th-14th centuries The use of wood and metal made the riding device more durable and reliable At this time, skates began to be used not only for hunting, but also as entertainment during leisure time Until the beginning of the 19th century In Rus', ice skating was considered fun for commoners Later, aristocrats began to get involved in skating, realizing that it improves health, gives strength to the body and graceful movements Skating enthusiasts slid across the ice, drawing figures of eight and three on it, and performing other maneuvers The complication of technology became a prerequisite for the creation of a new sport In the 18th century The first clubs for figure skating fans opened in Great Britain Somewhat later, its adherents appeared in Canada and the USA In 1763, the first ice skating competitions were held in England North America became the birthplace of short track speed skating In this discipline, athletes competed in the speed of movement along an oval-shaped ice track The first international short track speed skating tournament with the participation of Canadians and Americans took place in 1915 In Europe, the competition took place a year earlier Today, speed skating and figure skating are considered Olympic disciplines The founder of figure skating is considered to be American ballet dancer Jackson Haynes Having become a figure skater, he included dance in his skating and was the first to perform to music Modern athletes are constantly complicating their artistic program by incorporating new elements into it The beauty and grace that pairs and single skaters demonstrate on the ice makes many fans talk about figure skating as a separate art form A holiday has been established in honor of the most spectacular and exciting sports Every year on the first Sunday of December, World Skating Day is celebrated World Ice Skating Day was held for the first time in 2022 Its initiator was the authoritative and oldest sports association in the world - the International Skating Union (ISU) Founded in July 1892, the federation includes 101 representatives in the form of national and club members The Union is the body that organizes and manages competitions in figure and synchronized skating, long-distance speed skating and short track speed skating The purpose of the festive events is to popularize these disciplines and winter sports World Ice Skating Day usually coincides with the Grand Prix of Figure Skating, an international competition held under the auspices of the ISU In addition to the performances of the best athletes in the world, other events are timed to coincide with the celebration: television shows, master classes, thematic screenings of documentaries, promotions for free visits to ice arenas, etc Skating fans post on social networks with the hashtag #WorldIceSkatingDay, spreading information about the holiday among Internet users