In the article “Unpopular sports in Russia,” we will tell you about the top 5 unpopular sports, and the top 5 sports that will never catch on in our country.
Before the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center conducted a survey among the population of our country in order to identify the share of Russians engaged in sports (60%).
Based on the results of the survey, a list of “unpopular” sports, or those sports where the share of participation is minimal. Below is a table of these sports.
| Unpopular sports in Russia | |
| Types of sports | Share of participation |
| Fighting | 3% |
| Ice skates | 3% |
| Skiing | 3% |
| Hockey | 2% |
| Chess | 1% |
A surprising poll result, isn’t it? There are over 8,000 sports in the world, both national and internationally popular. Below we bring to your attention the top 5 sports that will definitely not take root in Russia.
So, our rating:
- Eton Parish is a game played between students in Great Britain. It was even played by Prince Harry of Wales. Players have to sneak a ball along a wall and score a goal.
- Kabaddi is a sport that is more than 4,000 years old. It is popular in South Asia, but has never caught on in Russia. Kabaddi resembles a mixture of wrestling and tag team.
- Canal jumping is the national sport in Holland. Championships are held annually for this sport.
- Buzkashi is a fairly tough sport that is popular in Afghanistan. It resembles polo without a stick and a ball, but with a goat carcass in your hands. Because of its brutality this sport is not widespread in Russia.
- Ironing is extreme ironing, which Russian men are not yet ready for. Usually it is their wives who do the ironing at home. Yes, and the name of the athletes (Ironists) is not really associated with masculinity.
Of course, this list can be supplemented with other sports such as: Florence Calcio, Coopershill Cheese Race, Belly Dive, etc. But, the top 5 in our opinion look like this. Here’s a quick video for your viewing pleasure.
