N.Yu. Mel'nikova
Ph.D., professor
Russian State University of Physical Culture, Sport, Youth and Tourism (GTsOLIFK), Moscow

The paper deals with the historical aspects of the formation of the modern Olympic movement in the USSR. This process took place under difficult conditions, under the influence of external and internal interrelated factors associated more with politics rather than sport. The confrontation of opposing ideologies has been determining the balance of world relations and has been dramatically affecting the environment in the world of sport for many decades. Naturally, this fully applied to the international Olympic movement.
In the period between the two world wars, athletes from the USSR did not participate in the Olympic Games. The reason for this seemingly paradoxical phenomenon was the fact that the ideology and the political conditions prevailed over the interests of sport and common sense, which was certainly bad for the development of both the world sport and the sports movement in the USSR.
In the post¬war years, since 1945, the Soviet foreign policy has changed dramatically. The state started to extend international relations in various areas of economic, cultural, scientific and sports life. Recovery from years of isolation and joining the international sport and Olympic movement finally enabled Soviet athletes to participate in major competitions -¬ the European and world championships and the Olympic Games. This process was difficult, primarily because of the enormous financial difficulties the country was facing, and also due to domestic political and ideological reasons.

Keywords: Olympic movement, international sports communications, Olympic debut of athletes from USSR, Games of Olympiad, Olympic Winter Games, sports and politics, unofficial team scoring, ideological struggle, confrontation of political systems in sport.

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