Relay race ( French estafette - “ messenger, messenger, courier ”) - a set of team sports disciplines in which participants go through stages one by one, passing each other the turn to travel the distance. In athletics, the transition from stage to stage is carried out by transferring the baton (stadium types) or tape (ekiden); in skiing, physical contact with the athlete’s hand at the next stage; in swimming, touching the side. The task of the relay team is to get to the finish line first.
Content
History
The word relay comes from the concept of equestrian relay - ambulance, sending couriers of couriers [1] .
Various types of relay races:
- enter the program of competitions of professional athletes in such sports as biathlon , athletics , swimming , speed skating , orienteering [2] .
Relays are also called:
- amateur sporting events [3]
- social and political events [4]
Relays are the most popular and spectacular sport that has been included in the Olympics program since 1900 (swimming), since 1908 (athletics), since 1936 (skiing).
Athletics
Program
The program of World Championships, Europe and the Olympic Games includes classic relay races: 4 × 100 m (summer season), 4 × 400 m (summer and winter season) [5] .
In addition to these disciplines, the IAAF also records world records in relay races such as: 4 × 200 m, 4 × 800 m, 4 × 1500 m.
There are other less popular types conducted at the stadium, for example 4 x 110 meters with barriers and the so-called Swedish relay race 800 + 400 + 200 + 100 m. Relay relay races (cross-country) on the highway and rough terrain, where At each stage, athletes cover 3-5 or more kilometers [6] . The marathon relay race - ekiden - is extremely popular in a number of countries.
Relay races are the only team discipline in the track and field program of the largest international competitions: Summer Olympic Games, World Championships and Europe. In fact, the athletes who make up the relay team at the highest level perform only once a year.
Rules
The main rules are the correct transfer of the stick from stage to stage and that you must not interfere with your opponents to go the distance. The transfer should be carried out within a special corridor (in the relay 4 × 100 m its length is 20 meters). Athletes must not use any adhesive or gloves to hold the stick.
The most common technical errors:
- loss of sticks;
- transmission outside the corridor;
- obstruction of opponents in the free transfer of sticks or passing the distance.
In sprint relay races, a clear wand transmission plays a key role and is practiced by long workouts.
Skiing
The program of the largest skiing competitions includes the relay race 4 × 10 km (men) and 4 × 5 km (women).
Biathlon
The program of the World Championships and the Olympic Games includes the men's relay 4 × 7.5 km, the female 4 × 6 km and the mixed relay 2 × 6 km + 2 × 7.5 km.
Swimming
The program of the largest competitions (50 and 25 meter pool) includes three relay races: 4 × 100 m 4 × 200 m freestyle and combined 4 × 100 m (for men and women), and world records in these disciplines are also recorded [5] .
See also
- Olympic Torch Relay 2008
- “Relay race on the ring“ B “” (1947), painting by Alexander Deineka
Notes
- ↑ Relay relay // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
- ↑ Orienteering Link checked on 7/31/2008
- ↑ Development of the competition “Fun Starts” link checked 7/31/2008
- ↑ Moscow-Vyazma athletics relay link checked on 7/31/2008
- ↑ 1 2 B.N. Khavin . All about the olympic games. - 2nd ed. - M .: "Physical Culture and Sports", 1979. - S. 372, 404.
- ↑ Track and Field Athletics Link checked 7/31/2008