Sport and Leisure

Russians enjoy their leisure, and there are many restaurants and bars in Yaroslavl.

Unlike many countries in Europe and North America, you will find the streets busy with people walking most of the day, including late into the evenings.

Most Russians enjoy sport, and Yaroslavl is the home of:

• Locomotiv Yaroslavl, the ice hockey team, who play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Locomotiv were Russian national champions in 1996-1997, 2001-2002, and 2002-2003.

On September 7th 2011, a disaster near Yaroslavl saw the entire Locomotiv team die in an air crash. 44 people died in the crash on a chartered Yak-42. The only survivor was a member of the air crew. This was a tragic day for the families of those involved in the crash, for everyone in Yaroslavl, and for the sporting World as a whole.

• FC Shinnik Yaroslavl football (soccer) team, who play in the Russian Football National League (2nd level of Professional football in Russia).

• Winter sport is is also very popular, and there are some small skiing centres around Yaroslavl. The Yaroslavl Region is home of Demino. This centre of skiing, is located near the town of Rybinsk, in a picturesque location on the banks of the Volga. Since 2007 Demino has been one of the venues in the FIS cross-country skiing World Cup. The world’s best cross-country skiers from over 20 countries take part in the competition that attracts tens of thousands of spectators from all over the World.

To the general Russian, a very popular leisure activity is the Banya. This is a type of sauna, which is highly social, and if you get a chance - try one (or more).