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The paper analyses the modern history of the spread of doping in Olympic sports, the IOC’s fight against this negative phenomenon and activities of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) established in 1999 and designed to eradicate doping. It is shown that, despite the ever-increasing financial and human resources and legal capabilities, intensive propaganda efforts, increased volume of testing, severe sanctions, and support from reputable international organizations (UN, UNESCO, Council of Europe), the Agency's multi-year activities is not only brought Olympic sport closer to solving the problem, but also dramatically aggravated and made it dangerous for the credibility and the well-being of the Olympic movement. It is not only and not so much about the competition in elite sport that dramatically increased in recent years along with socio-political and commercial attractiveness of success at the Olympics, but about fundamentally misguided methodology underlying the WADA activities and based on the neglect of the achievements of biological, medical, and sports sciences and the realities of the modern high performance sport, and drawn up on the ideas of lawyers, economists, and «universal managers». The paper outlines in detail outcomes of the activities of the WADA and anti-doping laboratories accredited by the Agency, which manifested themselves in many crisis phenomena moved far beyond the limits of the Olympic sport. Furthermore, the prospects of coming out of the grave crisis developed in this area are delineated.

The paper is devoted to the analysis of the preconditions for origination and peculiarities of the formation of beach team sports (volleyball, handball, football) in the world, along with the generalization of international experience of their functioning at the present stage of the development of sport. In the paper, the balance of forces in the international sports arena is examined and Brazilian national teams were found to occupy leading positions in this group of sports. Conditions ensuring effective functioning of beach team sports in this country are analyzed. The prospects for their further development are identified.

The paper summarizes the new data on the technical and tactical preparation of elite athletes in team sports. The main content of the paper involves the data of own research on the issue of improving sports mastery in elite volleyball players. The formulas and rating scales are developed for assessing the technical and tactical preparedness of team players based on the indicators of their competitive activity (efficiency of attacking actions, the effectiveness of the serving, the effectiveness of the technical and tactical actions in attack). The program of improving technical and tactical actions in attack in elite volleyball players with different team role was proposed based on pedagogical analysis and interpretation of indicators of competitive activity.

The paper addresses the problem of the influence of biomechanical characteristics of jerk technique in qualified female weightlifters of different groups of weight categories on their competitive performance. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of biomechanical structure of jerk technique in female athletes from three groups of weight categories, which was documented in the “control” intensity zone (the weight of the barbell was 92-100% of the maximum) during competitive activity under two conditions of the execution of the competitive exercise: successful and unsuccessful. An attempt was made to identify the causes of technical mistakes made by athletes from different weight groups in the execution of the jerk, especially during execution of unfinished competitive exercises, and the influence of biomechanical characteristics on the movement structure of the barbell. There were found significant differences in biomechanical characteristics of the jerk technique in female athletes of different weight categories, most of which are caused by a disturbance of the dynamic and, consequently, kinematic structure of the barbell movement, that indicates the need for its systematic correction.

The paper summarizes the results of the studies on the identification of the relationship between the polymorphisms in a number of genes with the manifestation of speed-strength qualities and endurance in speed skaters. The theoretical and experimental substantiation is presented for the algorithm of determining the sports specialization of athletes specializing in speed skating on the basis of the results of polymorphism analysis of the genes ACE, NOS3, BDKRB2, ACTN3, PPARG, and CYP17A1. The algorithm consists of determining both the polymorphism of individual genes and the combinations of gene polymorphisms, thus making it possible to estimate the number of alleles and genotypes associated with endurance and/or speed-strength qualities. The use of this algorithm enables identifying physical qualities, to the development of which there is the greatest genetic predisposition, and choosing on their basis a skating specialization of the athlete.

The article analyzes the migration processes of highly qualified basketball players over the period from 1988 to 2016 as one of the main factors of globalization influence on high performance sport. The characteristic features of basketball development in conditions of globalization of high performance sport are shown through the example of migration of highly qualified basketball players. The quantitative and qualitative indicators of participation of foreign and migrated players in the Olympic basketball tournaments are determined and analyzed. The paper also summarizes the components of migration of basketball players divided into three groups (1-4, 5-8, 9-12th places) depending on the position of the national basketball teams in the tournament tables of the Olympic Games for the period from 1988 to 2016. The stable dynamics is revealed in the increase in quantitative and qualitative indicators of sports migration of highly qualified basketball players. The importance of the influence of globalization on high performance sport is proved.

The paper analyzes and summarizes the theoretical information about implementation of biomechanical principles of organization of moving motions in sports with a view to their practical use in everyday coaching practice. Biomechanical principles, the general conditions for organization of coordination structure of movements, are based on the laws of physics and biology. The fragments of realization of throwing and kicking movements in sports are provided as practical examples, because they are based on the general mechanism of acceleration of distal links of a kinematic chain and have nearly identical features of its functioning. The provided information allows a practical coach to understand deeply the essence of technique ele ments of moving motions and of all the action as a whole, which will improve the quality of technical preparation of athletes at all stages of sporting advancement.

The paper addresses the issue of the «relative age effect» influence on the selection and multi-year training of young athletes that is currently relevant for many team sports. It is shown that trainers recruiting the members for junior and youth teams prefer children who were born in the first half of a calendar year and are more physically fit than their younger peers. This trend is completely absent in the adult sport world thus indicating a transient nature and the negative effects of those advantages that are achieved when the «relative age effect» is used in the process of competitive activity. There were a much larger number of players born in the first and second trimesters of a calendar year in the cadet and youth basketball teams of different age groups. This trend is maintained up to the level of high performance sport.

This paper examined the findings of previous research about criteria used by the IOC in its selection of host cities for the Olympic Games. The history of the modern Olympic Games is briefly reviewed to explain host city selection for the main international sporting event of the four years. It was found that most of the evaluated criteria are material (Olympic village, transportation system, sport facilities, financial resources, telecommunications, information technologies, and media center location and resources) and they are more likely to influence the decisions of the IOC than the non-material criteria (experience of sports events organization, political situation, diplomatic relations, public support for Olympic bid, opinions about holding Olympics, etc.). The results obtained on the basis of the case studies of Olympic host city selections for Olympic Games are consistent with research claiming the importance of material culture in host city selection for Olympics.

The paper analyzes the relationship and complementarity of the theory of adaptation and the theory of sports training. Potential of the theory of adaptation is demonstrated for the development of knowledge in the field of training athletes. The types of adaptation are described, and the issues of adaptational adjustments of the athlete’s body are examined depending on the size and nature of the loads. Multistage and variable nature of adaptive responses typical of sports are demonstrated along with the importance of phenomena such as over-adaptation, de-adaptation, and readaptation. Relationships between adaptation responses, formation and development of functional systems, and characteristic of the concept of «functional preparedness» are discussed.

The paper presents the structure and algorithm of psychodiagnostic studies in Olympic sports on the basis of the methodological approach. The order of structural components is determined as a basis for developing implementation algorithm for the methodology. The basic forms of manifestations of athlete’s mentality and their relationship are examined. Using the assessment results of Ukrainian national team members specialized in cyclic, complex coordination, team or combat sports during preparation for the main competition of the year, the peculiarities and distinctions of their psychological profiles are identified to demonstrate the usability of implementation algorithm for the methodology of psychodiagnostic studies in Olympic sports. Individual and group characteristics of the type of temperament were studied, as well as the percentage distribution of different types of temperament in various sports. The indicators of the levels of psychological and physiological stress and of the peculiarities of perception, along with the gender characteristics were analyzed as fundamental psychological determinants of athlete’s personality. The key psychological factors of predisposition of athletes to a certain type of physical activity are investigated. The ways are suggested to improve the algorithm of psychodiagnostic testing and development of different aspects of athlete’s sporting potential.

The paper scrutinizes the annual dynamics of competitive activity performance of prize winners in track and field of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro. The studies performed allow to identify two basic strategies of participation of elite athletes in the competitions. The first implies a strong focus on achieving the best results in major competitions of the year. It is used by most of the strongest athletes in the world. The second focuses the athlete on the effective combination of competitive activity in major competitions of the year (the Olympics and World Championships) and in the Diamond League. As shown by the experience of the best sports practice, only a limited number of athletes manage to implement the latter strategy. The methodological approaches to planning competitive activity during the year are identified. The first involves the rational allocation of the optimal number of competitions throughout the year, the second focuses on preparatory competitive activities of a fairly high intensity, and the third involves the use of a small number of competitions in the system of annual training.

The paper is about a photographer Albert Meyer who was the first one to immortalize on the photos the members of the International Olympic Committee. The skills of Meyer is shown along with the care with which the photographer had composed his shots detailing the placement of all those who should be present in the photo. It is noted that Meyer did a splendid job for the Olympic movement. Without his shots we would learn much less about Olympic Games in Athens 1896.

The paper shows that exercise-induced bronchial asthma, even when induced directly by professional activity of an athlete, has in its basis the violation of the morphological, immunological and biochemical mechanisms, as well as has clear diagnostic criteria. The modern pedagogical, organizational and pharmacological methodologies are highlighted for prevention of bronchospasm, which determines the severity of athlete’s condition and makes impossible further physical activity. The potential for the use of various drugs was analyzed in view of the fact that many of them are today included in the World Anti-Doping Agency list of prohibited substances

The paper examines the issue of improving the technical preparation of football players during initial basic training. A special attention is paid to the development and experimental substantiation of the methods of technical preparation of young football players in an annual cycle at the stage of initial basic training on the basis of the control of discriminative characteristics when performing inseparable combinations of techniques during a game. An attempt was made to uncover the underlying causes of a low technical preparedness of football players at different stages of multi-year training and to implement an integrated scientific approach to improvement of the process of technical preparation of 10-11 years old football players in an annual cycle at the stage of initial basic training on the basis of the control of discriminative characteristics when performing inseparable combinations of techniques during competitive activity, along with the peculiarities of psychophysical condition and a level of development of physical qualities. This approach in teaching technical skills will be of interest to specialists and coaches in football, since the pedagogical experiment has determined the effectiveness of the developed methodology.

The paper substantiates the design of the training process of athletes in team sports during an annual training cycle on the basis of model training tasks. The model training tasks are developed along with micro-and mesocycles, periods, and annual cycle for preparation of elite female volleyball players. The ratio of the training means and various types of training loads in the periods of macrocycle were determined. Introduction of model training tasks into the training process in team sports allows to efficiently plan and optimize the preparation of athletes, as well as to implement the principle of individualization in the development of a coherent team.

The paper examines the issue of improving the technical preparation of football players during initial basic training. A special attention is paid to the development and experimental substantiation of the methods of technical preparation of young football players in an annual cycle at the stage of initial basic training on the basis of the control of discriminative characteristics when performing inseparable combinations of techniques during a game. An attempt was made to uncover the underlying causes of a low technical preparedness of football players at different stages of multi-year training and to implement an integrated scientific approach to improvement of the process of technical preparation of 10-11 years old football players in an annual cycle at the stage of initial basic training on the basis of the control of discriminative characteristics when performing inseparable combinations of techniques during competitive activity, along with the peculiarities of psychophysical condition and a level of development of physical qualities. This approach in teaching technical skills will be of interest to specialists and coaches in football, since the pedagogical experiment has determined the effectiveness of the developed methodology.

The paper shows that exercise-induced bronchial asthma, even when induced directly by professional activity of an athlete, has in its basis the violation of the morphological, immunological and biochemical mechanisms, as well as has clear diagnostic criteria. The modern pedagogical, organizational and pharmacological methodologies are highlighted for prevention of bronchospasm, which determines the severity of athlete’s condition and makes impossible further physical activity. The potential for the use of various drugs was analyzed in view of the fact that many of them are today included in the World Anti-Doping Agency list of prohibited substances .

The paper substantiates the design of the training process of athletes in team sports during an annual training cycle on the basis of model training tasks. The model training tasks are developed along with micro-and mesocycles, periods, and annual cycle for preparation of elite female volleyball players. The ratio of the training means and various types of training loads in the periods of macrocycle were determined. Introduction of model training tasks into the training process in team sports allows to efficiently plan and optimize the preparation of athletes, as well as to implement the principle of individualization in the development of a coherent team.

The paper examines the current views of chronic overexertion of the cardiovascular system, emerging as a result of high intensity prolonged physical exercise. The major metabolic mechanisms that influence the occurrence of cardiac overexertion are discussed. The main interest of the work was focused on typical features of the clinical course, echocardiographic and echocardiographic manifestations of cardiac overexertion in athletes of different qualifications. The role of myocardial hypertrophy is demonstrated for increased incidence of sudden cardiac death of athletes, that necessitates regular medico-biological control of the cardiovascular system. To prevent the overexertion of the cardiovascular system in athletes, it is necessary above all to provide the rational organization of the training process, the reasonable use of extra-training tools for recovery and stimulation of performance, as well as the regular medical control, including the treatment of hidden pockets of chronic infection and functional studies of the heart, including ECG and echocardiography.

The paper is devoted to the evaluation of the impact of additional resistance to breathing at the exhalation on the condition of the functional systems of the body and experimental validation of the methodology to use it in the training process of highly qualified rowers. The author found that additional resistance to exhale amounting to 25 cm H2O·l·s-1 leads to the changes in hemodynamics and ventilation para-meters, which are specific for rowers. The use of the breathing exercises with additional resistance to exhale during warm-up was found to improve recovery processes after workouts, while their use during the rest intervals between repeated races ensures the uniformity of the results. On the basis of the study it is suggested to use the additional resistance at the exhalation to increase the level of specific endurance of elite rowers.

The concepts of modern sports psychology are examined, detailed and classified. The paper outlines the concepts of «psychological preparation» and «psychological support», «psychological readiness» and «psychological preparedness», which are the basis of sports psychology. Their logical interrelationships and priority significance are determined. The causes and trends of development of conceptual apparatus are defined.

The paper deals with the problem of formation of specialization in «group exercise» at the stages of initial and preparatory basic training, and technology for selection, orientation and preparation of female athletes in the rhythmic gymnastics group exercise. The author has disclosed approach to formation of specialization, proposed the technology for selection, orientation and preparation of athletes in group exercise, and systematized the criteria for selecting female gymnasts for group exercise. On the basis of preformed research, the author have substantiated and tested the effectiveness of proposed approach and developed technology for selection, orientation and preparation of female gymnasts for group exercise at the initial stages, which can be used at subsequent stages of multi-year improvement.

This article analyzes the current literature dealing with the issues of sports physiology, swimming performance, and nutrition, in order to provide evidence-based recommendations for training to achieve maximum performance in swimming and to minimize the risk of overuse injuries. Recommendations for day-of-competition exercise and nutrition are also offered. The paper provides a detailed review of the studies done on the topic of performance, metabolism, nutrition, stroke technique, tapering, and injury. This multidisciplinary approach to swimming training that optimizes each stage of training and competition will likely improve the performance of many competitive swimmers.

The paper attempts to provide an evidence-based forecast for the development of the Olympic Games for the next 16-20 years using the methods of virtual simulation, content analysis and retrospective analysis. The authors studied social economic crises and conversion of the management of the Olympic movement and their impact on the models in the development of the upcoming Olympic Games. Three models of the development of the Olympic Games are proposed as follows: «Optimistic», «Real optimal» and «Pessimistic». Probabilistic existence of each model were investigated in the different aspects and taking into account the availability of certain social economic and political conditions. The most probable ones, according to the authors opinion, is the «Real optimal» model. The difficulties and obstacles were identified that may arise on the course of the Olympic movement: change in the number of countries participating in the Olympic Games; the number of fans and viewers; preservation and expansion of the number of sports in the Olympic program.

The paper is focused on the issue of modeling competitive activity of elite athletes, specializing in short-track, in the 500m, 1000m and 1500m events on the basis of identifying various tactical options for running distance. Based on the analysis of speed dynamics, it was found that the world’s strongest athletes use various options to skate the distance in short track, but in most cases, in the 500m distance they skate at a minimum distance speed on the first lap, and reach the maximum speed on the second lap; in the 1000m distance they skate slowly on the second lap and achieve the maximum speed on the fourth lap; and at the 1500m distance the slowest lap is the second whereas the fastest is the fifth. The author has proposed prognostic models of competitive activity in short track in the 500m, 1000m and 1500m distances, which take into account different tactical options for skating. Mastering the selected option is possible when targeting developed prognostic models of the competitive activity with clearly identified quantitative criteria, corresponding to a particular level of special preparedness of athlete.

The paper examines the system of environmental factors, which, while not constituting a component of the training process or competitive activity, significantly affect the productivity of athletes’ training and competitive activity. It was found that in the conditions of increasing complexity and multifactor nature of external environment, significance of sports training centers as the structures capable of realizing the potential of environmental factors has been increased. Formation of branched international network of training centers, involving national sports infrastructures, is an important factor in improving competitiveness of the centers, expanding service offering and improving the quality of the services they provide.

First Russian Olympics, centenary of which we will celebrate in 2013, was a milestone in the history of national sport and Olympic Movement. The paper presents an analysis of situation in sport in the Russian Empire in the early 19th century as well as prehistory of First Russian Olympics that took place in Kiev; pays tribute to the initiators of this event; considers preparation for Olympics and outlines the issues related to it. The opening and closing ceremonies, and awarding of the winners are described, as well as the course of competitions in various sports included in the Olympic program are covered.