President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good evening, colleagues,
Today's meeting of the Sports Council is dedicated to nongovernmental sports organisations.
Sports and physical training societies and federations, sports clubs and leagues, as well as fitness centres, all hold a pivotal position in the physical education system of children and young people. They contribute to fostering a culture of active, healthy lifestyles within society, while also playing a vital role in the advancement of Russia's economy, social sphere, and modern infrastructure for living.
These organisations impact millions of individuals and undeniably warrant special attention from the state. They require additional support, flexible and efficient oversight, which should set a high standard for quality of work while avoiding the imposition of bureaucratic hurdles.
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Currently, over 92,500 nongovernmental organisations in Russia deliver physical exercise and recreation services, organise competitions across various levels, and offer sports training. Nonetheless, not all of these organisations are integrated into national, regional, and local sports development programmes.
During the previous meeting of the Sports Council, we said that the Government needs to prepare proposals on how these organisations could and should receive assistance from authorities at all levels. The efforts in this regard have highlighted the necessity to enhance the management system within the sports sector.
The resources of both the state and society must be directed towards achieving national development goals. To this end, it is essential to establish a clear collaboration between state and public organisations, companies, and individual entrepreneurs engaged in the field of physical training and sports. This collaboration must ensure transparency and accountability, primarily through the use of modern information systems and digital solutions, which are now being integrated into all spheres of life and sectors.
Sports databases are intended to provide citizens with accessible information regarding optimal training locations and coaches, as well as upcoming sports events. These databases are crucial for high-performance sports, professional athletes, and authorities, assisting in the selection of organisations for participation in national and local programmes and providing them with financial and administrative support.
The inclusion of all sports organisations in a unified federal database will also facilitate balanced and objective decisions concerning the construction and modernisation of sports infrastructure.
Today, the fencing centre hosted a presentation of the facilities, which were built within the framework of the Sport is the Norm of Life project and opened this year here in Bashkiria, in the Nizhny Novgorod Region and in the Perm Territory. Two more facilities have been built in Tula and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk as part of the Gazprom for Children programme.
We often said that instruments of public-private partnership should be used more in sports and that we should encourage investors through benefits, subsidies and profitable concession agreements. I would like the Government to pay special attention to this programme and to take it into account when drafting and implementing plans for the development of sports infrastructure.
This fully applies to the development of the sports industry. We discussed this issue at the previous meeting of the Council.
While creating in-demand sports gear and equipment, we must also expand the market for them, using state and municipal support and procurement instruments, and encouraging NGOs to engage in these efforts.
The construction and renovation of sports facilities and the development and production of Russian-made sports gear and equipment should be adjusted to the growing number of people who regularly engage in sports activities. The number of such people at the moment is about 76 million, or about 57 percent, of our population. In other words, there is still plenty of room for improvement.
There are people in this room who have devoted practically their entire life or a substantial part of it to the development of sports, and you know well that the number of people who regularly engage in physical culture and sports activities in neighbouring countries is higher than in the Russian Federation, not 57 percent, but over 70 percent. This is a goal we must strive for as well. As I said, our priority is to ensure the accessibility of sports for all age groups and different levels of physical aptitude.
In this connection, our sports federations should update their operations. I would like to remind you that they are not limited to professional and high-performance sports. Therefore, the volume of assistance to these federations from all funding sources should be aligned, in part, with their contribution to the development of mass, amateur, corporate and children’s sports.
The operations of Russia’s National Olympic Committee should be adjusted too. Despite the problems which we are aware of, it is necessary to redouble efforts in the sphere of international cooperation, working with all interested partners and taking creative and substantive awareness measures to promote the universal values of sports, primarily among young people.
Our Paralympic Committee has a special role to play in contributing to the development of amateur and mass part of adaptive sports. I would like to emphasise to all our colleagues here that this should be done with due regard for projects aimed at rehabilitation of the special military operation veterans. Supporting our heroes is an unquestionable priority and our shared moral duty.
Furthermore, the forced pause in Russian athletes’ broad participation in international sports competitions is not a reason to downgrade the quality of training for new generations of athletes, to loosen the rules of competitions, or to lower the level of medical and biomedical support for sports.
To reiterate, we have always supported the principles of fair and clean sport, and that remains unchanged. Athletes, individuals whose entire lives are devoted to intense physical training, with strenuous loads, are in need of highly effective healthcare practices. It is necessary to introduce advanced scientific research results, allocate sufficient resources, and open the National Sports Centre, which will work on this together with the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Federal Medical-Biological Agency.
One of the Centre’s important tracks will be children’s and youth sports. I have previously issued instructions on addressing the problems that are common in this area. Today I would like to hear about the efforts being made, primarily in regard to stopping the commercialisation of children’s sports.
This problem has been reported by Russian families, experts, as well as independent surveys. Even state-run clubs and community training centres, which children officially attend free of charge, still make parents spend substantial sums on equipment and gear, rent training facilities, and pay for sports camps. Clubs charge them fees for participation in competitions – including important events where children earn sports categories and titles.
Of course, in today’s conditions, in the current context of our lives, people and families can and must co-finance certain projects. But I believe in moderation in all things. However, some people are clearly overdoing it, abusing it – that is the point.
Some people I know, our athletes, outstanding hockey players, have been telling me bitterly: when a young boy fails to attend the so-called hockey drills – additional training to hone their skating skills – because he cannot pay for it, that does it, they no longer put him on the rink. I said, this cannot be true, isn’t everyone interested in the results? Well, they are – but they are more interested in money, and they do not let him play, and that’s it.
So, when I hear things like that – this is just one example, but this happens in many federations. I will be honest with you: if this had been the case when I was actively engaged in sports, if I had been charged so many fees, I would never have been able to qualify for the title of Master of Sports of the Soviet Union in sambo or the Master of Sports of the USSR in judo. This is not some outstanding achievement – nothing like [the titles that] many of the people in this room have – but being a Master of Sports of the Soviet Union, well, that was something. Again, I would never have been able to achieve that if I had to pay my way to it, as is often the case today. My family had no money to spare for this. This problem needs to be addressed properly.
Children from low-income and large families should not be charged any fees or so-called contributions, especially when it comes to qualifying for a ranking or a category. I understand, I talked to officials from the Ministry of Sports: “Well, we do not have enough money for everything.” Set your priorities right then. Some things are mandatory, such as qualifications for children to achieve ranking and get a category or a title, and those absolutely must be free of charge. How could it be otherwise? Priorities must be identified correctly. The state has enough money to fund its most important projects. Full stop. The practice of excessive or unjustified charges on people should be abandoned.
We must support those who have already chosen sport. Proper education, as well as professional and responsible work of coaches and mentors is certainly important, so that regular sporting activity and a responsible attitude towards one's health become a true norm for future generations. Children’s health is the country’s future.
Here is another suggestion. The State Programme for Physical Culture and Sport, which is currently being developed, should include not only a set of activities, their financial support and quantitative indicators, but also focus on quality, which is measured by the health of the population and the level of physical development. The more people engaged in sport, the fewer individuals will suffer from issues such as cardiovascular diseases, overweight, and diabetes – primarily among children and young people.
I ask the Government to ensure that appropriate target indicators are included not only in the new State Programme but also in all strategic documents. This is especially important since we already have a number of tools to assess the quality of citizens' health. These include the GTO physical culture and sports programme and routine medical check-ups. I would like to remind you that those who successfully pass the GTO tests and undergo regular check-ups are eligible for a tax deduction.
I want to emphasise again that physical training and sports directly contribute to addressing crucial problems such as population preservation, the fulfilment of each person’s potential and the improvement of Russian families’ well-being. Therefore, any efforts in this area should be of a national, interdepartmental nature—coordinated, clear, efficient and designed to meet common goals and performance indicators.
The coordination of this joint work by authorities, non-governmental entities and private businesses is entrusted to the Ministry of Sport. This is a necessary measure in the current environment and a significant responsibility. I count on the quality and active engagement of my colleagues.
I ask the Government to make the necessary amendments to the legislation regarding the expansion of powers of the Ministry of Sport, and to elaborate and update the requirements for the activities of all sport and physical fitness organisations, taking into account their specifics and regardless of their ownership or form of property.
We will discuss these matters in greater detail during today’s meeting. The floor goes to the Head of the Sports Council working group, Chelyabinsk Region Governor Alexei Teksler.
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Vladimir Putin: We undoubtedly need to pay attention once again to the unjustified and excessive commercialisation of mass sports. Various entry fees, fees to encourage winners and judges, and other charges should be cancelled. Yes, it is possible in case of some club competitions and so on. However, if the competitions are held under the unified calendar plan of the Ministry of Sport, where athletes, especially young athletes, fulfil sporting categories, there should not be any fees or charges; everything should be free of charge and provided for by the state.
I repeat – it will not be too heavy a burden for the state because if you prioritise correctly, there will be enough money. This is what I would like to emphasise.
Now, regarding how to implement this on the part of the Ministry of Sport: if our Minister of Sport also heads the National Olympic Committee, then he, as both Minister and President of the National Olympic Committee, will have more opportunities and powers to communicate with the regions, regulate work in those regions and collaborate more closely with the federations. This is why I believe it is feasible to support Mr Shamil Tarpishchev's proposal.
However, at the same time, we must heed what Vitaly Smirnov said. He is a very experienced person who has worked for many years in various national and international sports organisations, including the IOC. The National Olympic Committee must, without any doubt, retain its autonomy and independence and be able to counteract any theoretically possible external pressure.
Moreover, the President of the National Olympic Committee should certainly be guided by the Olympic Charter and be subordinate in this respect only to the Olympic Assembly. I will ask my colleagues in the Presidential Executive Office and the Ministry itself to reassess this component, consult experts in sports law and lawyers, and, if necessary, to secure these provisions in the relevant regulations.
Of course, I would like to express my gratitude to Mr Pozdnyakov for his achievements as president of the National Olympic Committee. It is a fact that he held the post at a difficult time during the coronavirus pandemic and the limitations this implied, including the postponement of the Olympic Games, and the subsequent unfair and, as I see it, unjustified decisions to restrict the participation of Russian athletes in various international competitions. You had to deal with all that; you rose to the challenge, and I am confident that your vast experience as an outstanding athlete, mentor and official will and must be used in the future in the interests of developing Russian sports. Thank you very much.
Stanislav Pozdnyakov: Thank you, Mr President. First of all, I would like to thank you for the high assessment of my modest contribution to the development of the Olympic movement in our country. But I believe that it is even more important for me to thank you for your continued support and serious assistance to Russia’s National Olympic Committee during the eight years when I held various positions at the committee.
Throughout these years, we have prioritised our biggest treasure – our athletes. I strongly hope that the new management of the National Olympic Committee will not only be guided by the Olympic Charter but will also uphold our athletes as the core and essence of the Olympic movement, just as has always been the case.
Thank you very much.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you.
I would like to express my gratitude to all of you. I hope you agree that the subjects we discussed today are not fleeting issues but are very important. And I strongly hope that we will be working on them together in the near and medium terms.
Thank you very much.