Putin held a meeting of the Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports. The main thing

On November 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in a meeting of the Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports. The main topics were the development of mass sports, the expansion of the competition system, the financing of sports federations and the return of Russian athletes to international tournaments. The support of veterans of the SVR through sports and the digitalization of the industry were discussed separately. The main theses of the president are in the material of Izvestia.

The development of mass sports and new competitions

Putin proposed making the sports competition system more accessible to Russians and increasing the number of events in which people of different ages and training levels can participate. According to him, more than 13,000 sports starts are held annually at the federal level in Russia, and the total number of competitions in the country reaches about 230,000.

Starting in 2027, the Defenders of the Fatherland Cup will be added to the unified calendar of sports competitions. The President instructed the Ministry of Sports, together with the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation and regional authorities, to ensure that it is conducted at a high level.

Putin also proposed making the program of the All-Russian Spartakiad more dynamic and compact in terms of timing, so that the competitions would become a real celebration of sports for spectators and participants. Separately, the President demanded that children participate free of charge in basic official competitions at all levels.

Updating the strategy for the development of physical culture and sports

Special attention was paid at the meeting to the long-term sports development program in Russia. Milyaev said that in 2025, the second stage of the implementation of the Strategy for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports was completed. In this regard, it is necessary to update the strategy itself and its implementation plan, taking into account the results achieved.

One of the main goals is to increase the proportion of Russians who regularly engage in sports to 70% by 2030. Now this figure is about 63%, or 84.3 million people.

Putin instructed to prepare a separate concept for the development of mass sports. The document should provide for specific implementation stages, annual targets, regional plans and measures to increase accessibility of sports infrastructure. In particular, it is proposed to expand the network of amateur competitions, attract businesses and public organizations, as well as create conditions for sports activities near the place of residence.

The President stressed that mass sports should become the basis for the development of the entire sports system of the country: future champions should grow out of it. At the same time, the main task of the industry remains to strengthen the health and improve the quality of life of citizens.

The concept of mass sports development is planned to be approved in the summer of 2027.

Putin demanded to cancel the confirmation of sports grades

Dmitry Svishchev, head of the Russian Ski and Snowboard Federation, said that candidates for the Master of Sports must confirm their rank every three years, and holders of other sports categories — every two years. Putin called this requirement meaningless and called for its cancellation.

"This is nonsense," the president responded when he heard about the current procedure.

He stressed that an athlete should not lose his well-deserved status due to the inability to regularly participate in competitions, for example, due to injury.

"There was no such thing in the Soviet Union. This is some kind of professional deformation for those who have thought of it before. I don't even understand. There's probably some explanation, but I don't see it. But I totally agree with you. This should be canceled," Putin said.

The President also asked Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko to monitor the resolution of this issue. The government has confirmed that it will prepare regulatory changes. In addition, it is planned to introduce automatic assignment of sports grades immediately after performing at competitions without the need for additional documents.

Financing of sports federations

Putin separately focused on the allocation of funds from the Russian Sports Fund. The President called for the money to be sent directly to sports federations, rather than being spent on secondary events and administrative needs.

"The money should be sent directly to the federation," he stressed.

The Head of State also expressed concern about the possible spending of funds on construction projects, noting that in such cases it is more difficult to ensure transparency of financing.

According to Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev, 95% of sports federations have increased their funding due to betting contributions compared to previous years.

More than 300 organizations, including school and amateur leagues, have gained access to targeted funding for the first time. Almost 12 billion rubles were allocated for children's and youth sports, and another 900 million rubles were allocated for adaptive sports.

The return of Russian athletes to the international arena

Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev announced the expansion of the admission of Russian athletes to international competitions.

According to him, 22 Olympic federations already admit Russian athletes under the national flag, and 31 federations admit juniors. In ten months, Russian athletes took part in 1,673 international competitions, and the Russian national anthem was played 380 times at the World and European championships.

The situation with the Russian national ice hockey team was discussed separately. Vladislav Tretyak, President of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, said that on October 30, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland lifted restrictions on the Russian team, recognizing the decision not to allow it as unjustified.

However, the International Ice Hockey Federation did not agree with this decision. In addition, Canada has stated its unwillingness to issue visas to Russian athletes, and several national federations have threatened to cancel matches with the Russian national team.

Putin called for continuing to defend the interests of Russian athletes by legal means and to enforce the decisions of international courts.

According to him, some national federations act under pressure from their own governments, despite the proclaimed principles of equality in sports.

Support for SVO veterans through sports

The head of the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, Deputy Defense Minister Anna Tsivileva, said that 17,000 veterans of the Russian Military are systematically involved in sports, more than 4.5 thousand of them have disabilities.

Classes in sledge hockey, skiing, go-karting and other disciplines are organized for military personnel. 57 sledge hockey teams have already been established in Russia.

According to Pavel Rozhkov, President of the Russian Paralympic Committee, more than 700 veterans are members of regional national teams, and over 70 are members of the national team.

The meeting also proposed including adaptive go-karting in the official list of adaptive sports and opening appropriate schools in the administrative centers of the regions. Putin supported the initiative and asked the government and the presidential administration to work on it with the subjects of the Russian Federation.

Digitalization and artificial intelligence in sports

The meeting participants discussed the introduction of digital technologies in the training of athletes, the organization of competitions and refereeing. In particular, it was proposed to develop a unified information system "Sport", combining data from sports federations, competition results, information about athletes and medical information.

Putin separately noted the prospects of using artificial intelligence to improve the objectivity of refereeing.

"In many sports, artificial intelligence can come to the aid of refereeing, objective refereeing," the president said.

Putin separately demanded to improve the quality of sports refereeing. According to him, it should be professional, transparent and independent. The Ministry of Sports and the presidential Administration have been instructed to prepare relevant proposals.

In addition, the meeting reported on the creation of Russia's first 10-year strategy for the development of sports medicine. It provides for the creation of electronic health passports for athletes and the introduction of AI tools for assessing medical risks.

New infrastructure for water sports

Dmitry Mazepin, President of the All-Russian Federation of Water Sports, appealed to Putin with a proposal to build a Water Sports Palace in Russia to train national teams and hold international competitions.

He also offered to compete for hosting the European Championship in Russia in 2030 and the World Cup in 2031. Putin supported the initiative and promised assistance from the government and the Ministry of Sports.

The President separately drew attention to the fact that the modern swimming pool built by Gazprom in Valdai has not been used for about five years due to the lack of a hotel and the necessary infrastructure to accommodate athletes.