Laws on physics: Putin instructed to involve Russians in sports as much as possible

The government should set a course for the development of mass sports in the country and provide children with free access to basic competitions. Vladimir Putin stated this on November 12 at a meeting of the Council on Sports and Physical Culture. He gave instructions that should bring the Defenders of the Fatherland Cup for veterans of the Russian Military and the All-Russian Sports Contest to a new level. The president also spoke about the situation with the admission of Russian athletes to international competitions. In particular, he promised to help resolve the visa issue for the participation of Russian Paralympians in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, as well as in the return of world sports to Russia.

How will the All-Russian Sports Contest change

On November 12, immediately after meeting with American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Vladimir Putin returned to discussing domestic Russian issues and held a meeting of the Council on Sports and Physical Education. It was attended by ministers, governors, heads of large companies, heads of sports federations, and members of the leadership of the Russian Olympic Committee. The main topic was the development of a system of sports competitions and physical education events.

— Organizing tournaments to discover talents, identify the best athletes, so that people of all ages can prove themselves in sports arenas, and the whole family can take part in competitions and have a good time, is an important area of the sports sphere, significant for preserving and strengthening the health of the nation, for promoting the values of an active lifestyle life," said Vladimir Putin.

The President gave a number of instructions. Firstly, the status of the Defenders of the Fatherland Cup will change. The project itself is not new: Since 2023, the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation and the Russian Paralympic Committee have been holding interregional and All-Russian tournaments under this name for veterans of their military, including those who were seriously injured, Maria Dobrina, associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia. But in 2027, they will receive official sports status for the first time and will be played as the Cup of the President of Russia.

Secondly, it is necessary to reformat the All-Russian Sports Contest. Its program should become dynamic and compact in terms of timing, so that people have the opportunity to experience the "energy of the great sports festival", come to the stadium with the whole family and see the best athletes of the country live.

Thirdly, by the summer of 2027, a concept for the development of mass sports with an increase in the number of competitions should be approved. The President stressed that it is important to develop national sports and support innovative sports activities. In addition, they will prescribe a clear algorithm for the interaction of event organizers with sports federations and mechanisms for supporting public and corporate initiatives.

To this end, Vladimir Putin instructed the regions to shift their focus from professional sports to mass sports in order to make physical education classes as accessible as possible. Children, in particular, should be provided with free access to basic competitions, regardless of the place of residence and the financial situation of the family.

About Russia's return to world sport

One of the main topics at the council meeting was Russia's position in world sports. Vladimir Putin stated that the national sports federations of several countries refuse to play matches with Russian teams under pressure from their own governments. According to the president, Russians are in contact with many federations, and they directly explain their behavior by the harsh position of their authorities.

The head of state was outraged by the fact that countries opposing Russia's admission to international competitions themselves disregard the principles of the Olympic Charter and the democratic institutions they are supposedly fighting for.

"In general, they just show once again that there are no universal rules, there are only one rules that meet their interests," the president said.

At the same time, Moscow does not intend to retreat. Russia will consistently seek to respect its interests in world sports legally and in all areas, which is already happening. On October 30, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ordered the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to allow Russian national teams to participate in international competitions. After that, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation received an official notification about the inclusion of the national team among the participants of the 2027 World Youth Championship in Canada.

In addition, Russian athletes will participate in the Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, which will be held from August 15 to 27, 2028. For this purpose, in particular, the president of the Russian Paralympic Committee, Pavel Rozhkov, asked the president to help create an exit point for obtaining American visas in Moscow so that the Russian delegation would not have to go to Astana for this. Vladimir Putin promised to work out the issue through the Russian Foreign Ministry.

For the sake of returning to world sports, Moscow is ready to become an organizer of international tournaments itself. In particular, Dmitry Mazepin, the head of the Russian Aquatics Federation, said that he would try to negotiate with the European and world federations to hold the European Aquatics Championships in 2030 and the World Championships in 2031. However, to do this, he asked the president to instruct the government to build a Water Sports Palace. Mazepin stressed that the national swimming and synchronized swimming teams still train at the outdated base on Krugloy Lake in the Moscow region, built in 1957 and not reconstructed since 1980. According to him, the new complex will allow children to practice water sports around the clock and will be equipped with stands for competitions and training of national teams. Vladimir Putin agreed with the initiative and instructed to work out the issue, expressing confidence that the Ministry of Sports and the government as a whole would support the project.