The Soviet Athletics Championships () was an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Soviet Athletics Federation, which served as the Soviet national championship for the sport.

The early history of event traces back to two events organised by a Moscow-based skiing club: this was first held in 1920 for men only. Following the Declaration of the Creation of the USSR, the next two editions in 1923 and 1924 increased in size and were held as an All-Union sports festival. A marked increase came in 1928 when 1281 athletes competed, drawing from five Union Republics, 12 regions of the Russian SDSSR and 11 foreign delegations. The event was held consistently every year from 1943 onwards. The athletics competition was incorporated into the quadrennial Spartakiad of Peoples of the USSR during the latter event's lifespan from 1956 to 1991 (with the exception of 1986).Soviet Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 26 August 2016.

The event programme typically was close to that featured in the Olympic Games athletics competition, though the marathon, road racewalking, and combined track and field events were usually held at separate championships. It was common for there to be both an individual Soviet Championships and a national athletics championship for clubs.Абдуллаев А.М., Орлов Р.В. и др. Книга легкоатлета М.: Физкультура и спорт, 1971 384 с.Лёгкая атлетика. Справочник / Составитель Р. В. Орлов. – М.: "Физкультура и спорт", 1983. – 392 с.

The last Soviet Athletics Championships was hosted in Kiev in 1991 and it ceased thereafter due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. A final shared championships was held in 1992 between the Commonwealth of Independent States, after which point the newly independent nations hosted their own national championship events.

Editions # Year Venue Date Stadium Notes 1 1920 Moscow 20–24 June Skiing Sports Society Stadium 2 1922 Moscow 3–10 September Skiing Sports Society Stadium 3 1923 Moscow 1–8 September 4 1924 Moscow 31 August – 1 September 5 1927 Moscow20–28 August 6 1928 Moscow11–21 AugustFood Union Stadium 7 1931 Moscow 15–19 June Central Dynamo Stadium 8 1934 Moscow 1–6 August Central Dynamo Stadium 9 1935 Moscow 11–12 September Central Dynamo Stadium 10 1936 Moscow 18–24 August Central Dynamo Stadium 11 1937 Moscow 20–24 August Central Dynamo Stadium 12 1938 Kharkiv 20–24 August Dynamo Stadium 13 1939 Kharkiv 24–30 August Dynamo Stadium 14 1940 Moscow 20–24 AugustCentral Dynamo Stadium 15 1943 Gorky 3–9 SeptemberDynamo Stadium 16 1944 Moscow 13–18 AugustCentral Dynamo Stadium 17 1945 Kiev 9–16 SeptemberRepublican Stadium 18 1946 Dnepropetrovsk 8–15 September Steel Stadium 19 1947 Kharkiv 20 August – 5 September Dynamo Stadium 20 1948 Kharkiv 5–12 September Dynamo Stadium 21 1949 Moscow 3–9 SeptemberCentral Dynamo Stadium 22 1950 Kiev 17–23 SeptemberRepublican Stadium 23 1951 Minsk 26 August – 1 September Dinamo Stadium 24 1952 Leningrad 24–30 AugustKirov Stadium 25 1953 Moscow 23–25 AugustCentral Dynamo Stadium 26 1954 Kiev 12–16 SeptemberRepublican Stadium 27 1955 Tbilisi 13–17 NovemberDinamo Stadium 28 1956 Moscow 5–16 AugustCentral Lenin Stadium 29 1957 Moscow 28 August – 2 SeptemberCentral Lenin Stadium 30 1958 Tallinn Tbilisi19–21 July 28 October – 2 NovemberKalevi Keskstaadion Dinamo Stadium 31 1959 Moscow 9–14 AugustCentral Lenin Stadium 32 1960Moscow Kiev 15–18 July 15–19 OctoberCentral Lenin Stadium Central Stadium 33 1961 Tbilisi 5–9 OctoberDinamo Stadium 34 1962 Moscow Tashkent11–13 August 13–19 OctoberCentral Lenin Stadium Pakhtakor Markaziy Stadium 35 1963 Moscow 9–15 AugustCentral Lenin Stadium 36 1964 Kiev 27–30 AugustRepublican Stadium 37 1965 Almaty 9–17 OctoberAlmaty Central Stadium 38 1966Dnepropetrovsk Leninakan 12–14 August 4–6 OctoberMeteor Stadium City Stadium 39 1967 Moscow 28 July – 1 AugustCentral Lenin Stadium 40 1968Sevan Leninakan

Tsaghkadzor

Yalta12–13 August 15–18 August

21–22 August

15 October 41 1969Noginsk Kiev

Uzhhorod

Sochi19 July 1969 17–20 August

15–16 October

1–2 NovemberNoginsk City Stadium Central Stadium

Avanhard Stadium

Central Stadium South 42 1970 Minsk Fryazino 12–14 September 12–13 September Dinamo Stadium 43 1971 Moscow 16–19 JulyCentral Lenin Stadium 44 1972 Moscow 14–20 JulyCentral Lenin Stadium 45 1973 Moscow 4–14 JulyCentral Lenin Stadium 46 1974 Moscow 6–7 July 23–26 JulyCentral Lenin Stadium 47 1975 Moscow 27–30 JulyCentral Lenin Stadium 48 1976 Kiev Klaipėda

Yerevan 10–24 June 15 August

26–29 AugustRepublican Stadium City streets

Hrazdan Stadium 49 1977 Moscow Riga 26–29 July 2–3 JulyCentral Lenin Stadium Dinamo Stadium 50 1978 Moscow Donetsk

Tbilisi 25 June 29–30 July

15–18 SeptemberCity streets Lokomotiv Stadium

Dinamo Stadium 51 1979 Moscow 21–29 JulyCentral Lenin Stadium 52 1980 Moscow Donetsk 29–21 June 6–9 SeptemberCentral Lenin Stadium Lokomotiv Stadium 53 1981Leningrad Leningrad

Moscow24–26 July 1–2 August

16–19 SeptemberLenin Stadium Central Lenin Stadium 54 1982Moscow Leningrad

(Kiev) 55 1983Moscow 56 1984 Donetsk 7–9 SeptemberLokomotiv Stadium 57 1985Leningrad 58 1986Moscow

Kiev 59 1987Moscow Mogilev Cheboksary

Novopolotsk

Bryansk

Tallinn12 June 12 June

12 July

16–19 July

18–19 JulyStart & finish at Desna Stadium 60 1988Kiev 61 1989Leningrad 62 1990Kiev 63 1991 Kiev

See also List of Soviet records in athletics

References