Zenit

(Zenith), a voluntary sports society of the USSR’s trade unions that affiliates physical culture groups in a number of branches of the machine-building industry.

Zenit was set up in 1936; from 1957 to 1966, after the reorganization of sports societies, the Zenit groups were a part of the Trud (Labor) society and other sports societies in various republics. After Zenit’s restoration in 1966, the sports groups Kryl’ia Sovetov (Wings of the Soviets) were also included in it. Olympic, world, European, and USSR champions, including M. M. Anikanova, G. I. Zybina, L. G. Ivanov, E. A. Karpukhina, N. A. Kuchinskaia, T. N. Press, L. M. Selikhova, L. E. Titova, T. A. Tyshkevich, I. S. Utrobin, lu. L. Averbakh, I. Z. Bondarevskii, A. A. Kotov, L. V. Rudenko, A. K. Tolush, N. V. Smirnitskaia, and N. I. Petrov have trained at the Zenit society. The training careers of the Honored Coaches of the USSR V. I. Alekseev and V. M. Reison and Honored Masters of Sports V. K. Krut’kovskii, P. P. Orlov, and M. A. Pochatova, are associated with Zenit.

Zenit has approximately 1,000 large sports buildings, 13,000 sports arenas and soccer fields, and more than 100 sports schools for children and adolescents.