Britain: An official handbook > 1993

SPORT AND ACTIVE RECREATION
leagues exist at national, divisional or district,
and club levels both indoors (six-a-side) and
outdoors, and there are regular international
matches.
The controlling body of women’s hockey
in England is the All England Women’s
Hockey Association (founded in 1895), to
which are affiliated some 950 clubs and about
2,000 schools; separate associations regulate
the sport in Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
League, county, club and school
championships for both outdoor and indoor
hockey are played annually in England. The
first international women’s hockey match
took place in 1896. Regular international
matches are played.
Men’s and women’s hockey are Olympic
sports; at the 1988 Games the British men’s
team won a gold medal and in 1992 the
women’s team won a bronze medal.
Horse Racing
Horse racing takes two forms—flat racing
(throughout the year) and steeplechasing and
hurdle racing (normally from August to early
June). The Derby, run at Epsom, is the
outstanding event in the flat racing calendar.
Other classic races are: the Two Thousand
Guineas and the One Thousand Guineas,
both run at Newmarket; the Oaks (Epsom);
and the St Leger (Doncaster). The most
important steeplechase and hurdle race
meeting is the National Hunt Festival
Meeting held at Cheltenham in March. The
Grand National, run at Aintree, near
Liverpool, is the world’s best-known
steeplechase and dates from 1837.
Racing takes place on most days,
normally excluding Sundays,
throughout the year. The first Sunday
race meeting was held at Doncaster in
July 1992.
About 14,000 horses are in training.
British thoroughbreds continue to be a source
of the world’s best bloodstock
The Jockey Club administers all horse
racing in Britain. Its rules are the basis of turf
procedure and it also licenses racecourses. A
new British Horseracing Board is proposed to
be set up from 1 January 1993, which will
take over responsibility for race planning,
racecourse policy, the racing administration
budget and consultation with the industry.
Ice Skating
Ice skating became popular in Britain in the
late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
and takes three main forms: ice dancing,
figure skating and speed-skating. The
governing body is the National Skating
Association of Great Britain, founded in
1879. Participation in ice skating is
concentrated among the under-25s. There are
over 70 ice rinks in Britain. British couples
have won the world ice dance championship
17 times.
Judo
Judo, an individual combat sport derived
from the ancient Japanese art of ju-jitsu, is
growing rapidly in popularity in Britain, as a
sport and general fitness training method and
self-defence technique. Men and women take
part in judo at all levels. More than 900 judo
clubs are registered with the British Judo
Association, which is the official governing
body of the sport throughout Britain.
At the 1992 Olympics the British judo
team won four medals: two silver—Ray
Stevens (half-heavyweight) and Nicola
Fairbrother (lightweight)—and two bronze—
Kate Howey (middleweight) and Sharon
Rendle (half-lightweight). Other recent
leading British exponents of the sport include
Karen Briggs, Sharon Lee, Densign White,
Elvis Gordon and Diane Bell.
Keep Fit/Aerobics
Various forms of movement and fitness
activities are practised in Britain that include
elements of eurhythmies, dance and aerobic
exercise. The different organisations have
varying emphases, but all are designed to
develop greater physical and mental well¬
being. The Keep Fit Association, formed in
1956, receives funding from the Sports
Council to promote physical fitness and a
positive attitude to health in England. Its
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