The modern Olympic Games or Olympics are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered the world's foremost sports competition with more than 200 teams, representing sovereign states and territories, participating. The Olympic Games are normally held every four years, and since 1994, have alternated between the Summer and Winter Olympics every two years during the four-year period.
The Winter Olympic Games is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held in Chamonix, France. The modern Olympic Games were inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, leading to the first modern Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 1896. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement, with the Olympic Charter defining its structure and authority.
Athletes from Belarus began their Olympic participation at the 1952 Summer Games in Helsinki, Finland, as part of the Soviet Union. After the Soviet Union disbanded in 1991, Belarus, along with four of the other fourteen former Soviet republics, competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics as the Unified Team. Later in 1992, Belarus joined eleven republics to compete as the Unified Team at the Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain. Two years later, Belarus competed for the first time as an independent nation in the 1994 Winter Olympics, held in Lillehammer, Norway.
The National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus was one of many national Olympic committees that make up the International Olympic Committee. On February 26, 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its treatment of Belarusian athletes, the International Olympic Committee suspended the NOC RB. Created in 1991, the NOC RB, was charged with selecting athletes to represent Belarus in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, enforcing anti-doping laws and promoting sporting activity inside Belarus. The current president of the NOC RB is Victor Lukashenko, the son of the current President of Belarus.
The most popular sportin Russia is soccer. According to Yandex search analysis results rating of the most popular sports among Russians: "Football topped the list of the most popular sports in Russia" with 5 to 10 million requests. Ice Hockey came in second with handball, basketball, futsal, boxing, auto racing, volleyball, athletics, tennis and chess rounding out the top ten rankings. Other popular sports include bandy, biathlon, figure skating, weightlifting, gymnastics, wrestling, martial arts, rugby union, and skiing.
The 2022 Winter Paralympics, commonly known as Beijing 2022, was an international winter multi-sport parasports event held in Beijing, China from 4 to 13 March 2022. This was the 13th Winter Paralympic Games, as administered by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
The 2015 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival was held in Vorarlberg, Austria and Liechtenstein between 25 and 30 January 2015. It was the first time that two countries become hosts in a European Youth Olympic Festival.
The 2019 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival was held in Sarajevo & Istočno Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina from 10 to 15 February 2019.
Athletes have competed as Independent Paralympians at the Paralympic Games for various reasons, including political transition, international sanctions, suspensions of National Paralympic Committees and compassion.
The 2022 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival was held in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, between 24 and 30 July 2022.
The 2022 Russian Figure Skating Championships were held from 21 to 26 December 2021 in Saint Petersburg. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance. The results were among the criteria used to select Russia's teams to the 2022 European Championships and 2022 Winter Olympics.
Ice hockey at the 2022 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival comprised two ice hockey tournaments in the under-17 competition class – a boys' tournament and a girls' tournament – during the Vuokatti 2022 edition of the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF). The boys' tournament was held from 13 to 17 December 2021 and, following the postponement of the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the girls' tournament was played from 21 to 25 March 2022. Both tournaments were played at the Kajaanin jäähalli in Kajaani, Finland. The girls' tournament marked the first time women's ice hockey was included in the programme of a European Youth Olympic Festival.
Figure skating at the 2022 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival was held from 20 to 25 March 2022 at the Vuokatti Arena in Vuokatti, Finland. Medals were awarded in boys' and girls' singles. To be eligible, skaters must have been born between 1 July 2004 and 30 June 2006.
Short track speed skating at the 2022 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival was held from 21 to 25 March at Vuokatti Arena in Vuokatti, Finland.
Cross-country skiing at the 2022 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival was held from 21 to 25 March at Vuokatti Sport Biathlon Stadium in Vuokatti, Finland.
Alpine skiing at the 2022 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival was held from 22 to 25 March at Vuokatti Sport Biathlon Stadium in Vuokatti, Finland.
Biathlon at the 2022 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival was held from 22 to 25 March at Vuokatti Sport Biathlon Stadium in Vuokatti, Finland.
Snowboarding at the 2022 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival was held from 22 to 25 March at Vuokatti Sport Biathlon Stadium in Vuokatti, Finland.
The 2023 Russian Figure Skating Championships were held from 20 to 25 December 2022 in Krasnoyarsk. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance.
Figure skating at the 2023 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival will be held from 25 to 27 January 2023 at the Ice Stadium “Claudio Vuerich” in Pontebba, Italy. Medals will be awarded in boys' and girls' singles. To be eligible, skaters must have been born between 1 July 2006 and 30 June 2008.
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