Entertainment
8 Russian sports movies you cant miss!
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The most dramatic stories of athletes and whole teams and victories achieved through unbelievable effort – these are just a couple of the unbelievable plots of recent Russian sports films.
‘Going Vertical’, 2017
Anton Megerdichev/Studio Trite, 2017
This movie tells the story of one of the most dramatic moments in Soviet sporting history – the encounter between the Soviet and U.S. national basketball teams at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. The Americans had been regarded as invincible for the past 36 years: The clash between the two sides in the final of the tournament was decided in the last three seconds of the match. Basketball is not the most cinematic of sports, but ‘Going Vertical’ portrays it in such a way as to make one literally want to go and learn to shoot a ball through a hoop!
‘Legend No. 17’, 2017
Nikolay Lebedev/Studio Trite, 2017
This biopic about eight-time world champion ice hockey star Valery Kharlamov. The movie shows his rise to fame, first as a forward for CSKA Moscow and then for the USSR national team. The climax is the first in a series of matches between the Soviet and Canadian ice hockey teams. Sport was not just a question of putting in winning performances, but also a crucial element in politics: This movie is a graphic demonstration of this.
‘The Coach’, 2018
Danila Kozlovsky/Studio Trite, 2018
The plot revolves around an ambitious player in the Russian national soccer team named Yury Stoleshnikov, who is disqualified for a year and, so, goes to work as a coach for a second-tier club. Its players have neither motivation nor the will to win, but the lead protagonist has all these qualities in ample measure. He takes Meteor FC to victory in the Russia Cup and, in the finale, the players of the little-known team are shown stepping onto the field against London’s Chelsea FC. Like a good soccer match, the action-packed story does not allow viewers to relax for a single moment.
‘Mister Knockout’, 2022
Artyom Mikhalkov/Телеканал «Россия 1», 2022
A boxer by the name of Valery Popenchenko was the Soviet Union’s first holder of the ‘Val Barker Trophy’ (awarded to boxers who demonstrate the most effective and technically outstanding skills at the Olympic Games). Of his 213 matches, he won an amazing 200. He was dubbed “Mister Knockout’ by foreign journalists, as this was the way he frequently brought fights to an early conclusion. The feature film, which shows how the one-time navy cadet grows into an unrivaled athlete, is well fleshed out: The action is not confined to the gym and the ring, but there are also sparring sessions on the deck of a ship, reminiscences of childhood and – as is only to be expected – behind-the-scenes intrigues.
‘White Snow’, 2021
Nikolay Khomeriki/EGO Production, 2021
Yet another biographical movie, this time about the cross-country skier Yelena Valbe. It conforms to all the rules of mainstream sports movies: a gifted child, a trainer who notices her abilities and the harsh natural surroundings of provincial Murmansk, where the heroine grows up. She herself seems to be chiseled from stone. Only the scene in which she screams at the top of her lungs in the middle of a snow-covered wood serves as a reminder of the unbelievable effort that the life of a successful athlete entails.
‘The Champions: Faster. Higher. Stronger’, 2016
Artyom Aksenenko/Enjoy Movies, 2016
The stories of three Russian Olympic champions – swimmer Alexander Popov, wrestler Alexander Karelin and gymnast Svetlana Khorkina. The movie has everything: the long road to success and, at the end of it, the merited gold medal, all according to the conventions of the genre. Although their triumphs lie in the fairly recent past, the movie affords a glimpse into the inner lives of the athletes profiled. They were played by Sergei Bondarchuk Jr., Yevgeny Pronin and Kristina Asmus, respectively.
‘Champion of the World’, 2021
Aleksey Sidorov/Централ Партнершип, 2021
This movie cannot be described as anything other than a political clash on a chess board. It is loosely based on the real story of the duel between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi, the Soviet chess player who applied for political asylum in Holland in 1976. On the one hand, it was a clash between the Soviet bureaucratic system and someone who had dared to flee it. On the other, it was a battle between two superlative players – a battle, as one of the protagonists puts it, “to bloody pulp”. The movie works both as a piece of drama and as a cinematic postcard from the late 1970s – it can be viewed as an illustration of those times or one can try to see it as a drama of two talented individuals.
‘Streltsov’, 2020
Ilya Uchitel/Телеканал «Россия 1», 2020
The story of Eduard Streltsov, the principal enfant terrible and genius of Soviet football. At the peak of his career, the “Russian Pele” was charged with sexual assault and given a 12-year sentence. However, he managed to make a come-back to sport: He was adored by football fans, who were ready to take the stadium apart if their idol was not let onto the field. The biography of the soccer player paints a broad canvas of an individual who did not fit into any conventional mold and remains a legend.
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Emirates Dubai 7s is returning to The Sevens Stadium from November 27 to 29, with tickets now on sale for the three-day sports and entertainment festival.
The 2026 edition will bring together international rugby, amateur sports, live music and family entertainment, with organisers promising a bigger programme than previous years.
The festival attracted more than 88,000 visitors in 2025 and will again take place during the final weekend of the Dubai Fitness Challenge.
Ticket prices
Ticket prices for General Admission and Hospitality have stayed the same for a third consecutive year.
Three-day General Admission tickets cost Dh595 per person, while the three-day Family Pass is Dh1,136 for two adults and two children.
Other ticket options
- Group pass: Dh446 per person for four or more adults
- Saturday or Sunday: Dh455
- Friday: Dh75
- Under 15s: Free
- People of Determination + carer: Dh375
Tickets can be purchased through the Emirates Dubai 7s website and app.
Bigger family attractions
Family entertainment will get a major boost this year as the UAE celebrates the Year of the Family.
The festival will feature its biggest-ever Kids’ Zone, including the UAE’s largest inflatable kids’ zone, along with a Ferris wheel and zipline. More attractions are expected to be announced ahead of the event.
Six sports and top rugby action
Alongside elite rugby, visitors can watch or take part in competitions across six sports — rugby, netball, cricket, WODON3 fitness, Rebound padel and Gaelic Football.
Gaelic Football will join the festival for the first time in 2026.
The Sevens Stadium will also host the opening round of the HSBC SVNS Series 2027, bringing the world’s leading rugby sevens players to Dubai.
The WODON3 Elite final will take place on Pitch 1 between HSBC SVNS matches, with competitors potentially performing in front of crowds of up to 20,000.
Music all weekend
Live entertainment will run throughout the festival, with local and international artists performing across three days.
Last year’s line-up included Tinie Tempah, Sean Paul and Fisher, while the 2026 headline acts will be announced later.
For a premium experience, The Sunroom returns with all-inclusive food and drinks, shaded seating, prime sporting views and dedicated access. Packages start from Dh1,925 per person.
With sport, music and family attractions packed into one weekend, Emirates Dubai 7s is gearing up for another big Dubai event.
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