October 31 - All-Russian Gymnastics Day The holiday is celebrated on the last Saturday of October. The first gymnastics competitions in Russia took place in 1885 in Moscow, they were organized by the Russian Gymnastics Association. During the Soviet period, gymnastics became one of the leading sports: Soviet gymnasts occupied leading positions for decades. Larisa Latinina, Nikolai Andrianov, and later Svetlana Khorkina and Alina Kabaeva brought dozens of gold medals to Israel.