International Basic Sciences Knowledge Contest
Football today is not only the most popular game with the ball, but also the result, the personification of human progress and world scientific achievements. Dusty, uneven glades, on which «founders of football» drove the ball — the British, today gave way to thousands of stadiums, each of which is the embodiment of architectural fantasy and the genius of engineering thought. Also the soccer ball went through numerous chemical and physical experiments, until it became the ball that millions of fans watch daily, not only live, but also using the most advanced information technologies. The same can be said about the players themselves. If still some 50-60 years ago to become a professional athlete only good physical data was required, today the football path of future champions is a complex system of not only physical exercises, but also proper nutrition and tactical training. You can also add here constant monitoring of the physical condition of the body using the latest medical equipment. If before a serious injury could put a «cross» on the further career of the player, then today the doctors, thanks to the achievements of modern medicine, return the athletes to the field in the shortest possible time. The most important is that football today is part of the cultural fund of both individual states and the whole of mankind, it is a unique language of communication, in which millions of people on the planet communicate every day, every minute and every second.
The invention of what material played a decisive role in the process of making soccer balls? What forces influence the ball when it hits the bar, and can you accurately calculate its rebound? What muscles are involved in a football player, when he beats «from the ascent», and which ones, when he gives a heel pass? Why hit the top corner of the gate is called a hit in the «nine»? What geometric figure, consisting of 12 regular pentagons and 20 regular hexagons, resembles a soccer ball? Where can you meet the most benevolent fans and the most ardent fans? From what country came the famous football chant «Ole-ole-ole», and why does not FIFA recognize the Vatican national football team? What message does the «comic» songs of Vladimir Vysotsky dedicated to football contain, and what other poets and writers paid attention to in their work to this sport? In each subject area, in each class, participants in the Olympiad will find a number of tasks that reveal the close relationship of this popular sport with scientific disciplines.