In October, Perm hosted the next forum “Russia – Sports Power”, where certain results were summed up, achievements and successes were noted, as well as strategic directions for the development of the sports industry. More than a month has passed, and therefore you can talk calmly, carefully and without emotions about the prospects for the development of Russia as a truly great sports power.
Recently, Russian sports have come under the most severe restrictions and sanctions, and the IOC and international federations regularly threaten Russia and put pressure on the psyche in every possible way. In any other country in the world, it seems to me that sport, most likely, would have “passed away”. But, despite all these unheard-of difficulties and troubles, we can confidently say that Russian sports are definitely alive, successfully looking for new opportunities for their development and certainly are not going to give up. We’ll try to name 10 facts in the development of these bold and, of course, subjective statements.
1. Despite serious sanctions against Russia, the state will definitely provide all kinds of support and assistance to Russian sports and the sports industry as a whole. Russian President Vladimir Putin said this at a plenary meeting of the forum. Moreover, it was both about sports of the highest achievements and mass sports. The speech of the President of Russia is, in fact, the fact of recognition that Russian sport is a priority for the development of the state and society.
2. At almost all sessions of the forum, participants discussed thoroughly the indicators and KPIs recorded in the Strategy for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports for the Period up to 2030. There are quite a few of them, but there is a key and main one – 70% of Russian citizens should regularly play sports by 2030. And for this, the country should have a convenient and very accessible infrastructure (stadiums and arenas, sports palaces and swimming pools, sports and recreation complexes and sports clubs), especially within walking distance. A meeting of the Presidential Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports was devoted to these issues. Indeed, today in many regions of Russia there is a real “sports construction” of various sports facilities.
3. In conditions of unprecedented international restrictions, when almost all Russian athletes are deprived of the right to compete in international competitions (a rare exception is: tennis, boxing, chess, sambo, MMA and some others), it is important to focus on national competitions and tournaments. And this is the task of the Ministry of Sports of Russia, regional authorities and, of course, all-Russian sports federations in sports. To do this, you need:
- a well-planned competition calendar;
- many prestigious starts for the country’s strongest athletes (stages of the Russian Cup, Russian Grand Prix and other attractive formats);
- guaranteed funding and a proper prize fund;
- television broadcasts;
- and of course, spectators and fans in the stands.
In fairness, some federations are already not bad (and sometimes, just great) in their achievements. Take figure skating and rhythmic gymnastics, skiing and swimming, biathlon and athletics as examples. The list can still be continued.
4. Russia does not plan to be in international isolation, and therefore three major international sporting events are planned for 2024:
- the Games of the Future in Kazan (February 21 – March 3);
- BRICS Games in Kazan (June 11-23);
- World Friendship Games in Moscow and Yekaterinburg (September 15-29).
It would seem that a good undertaking and initiative of Russia to expand the international calendar with interesting sports events was considered “up in arms” by the IOC, WADA and some international sports federations. The IOC immediately stated that Russia wants to hold “political sports events”. President Thomas Bach advised against accepting invitations or sending athletes, “otherwise…” (although it is not yet clear what will follow). But WADA immediately turned to threats against national sports organizations. Life will show what happens next. We are sure that Russia, as usual, will hold these tournaments with brilliance (as soon as it knows how). But officials from sports (IOC, WADA and others) will probably jangle nerves.
5. The “red thread” of the entire forum was the topic of digitalization of the sports industry and the development of digital sports. The digitalization of the economy and society, our whole life and, of course, sports is “a fact and an evidence of our time,” and therefore in the sports industry it is necessary to take this seriously, prepare and start “living in it”. Digital sports need to be developed, realizing that there will be more and more of them, and each of them will eventually have its own target audience. In Russia, they are already developing: e-sports, sports programming, fijital sports, drone races, laser tag and others. We especially advise you to pay attention to fijital sports, as it is a unique combination and synergy of physical activity and digital technologies. And so far Russia is “ahead of the whole planet” in terms of the development of fijital sports. And in February 2024, the first “Games of the Future” will already be held in Kazan.
6. Mass sports today really become very popular and in fact “mass.” They begin to get their adherents and supporters among “old and young”. A large number of marathons and half marathons, cross-country skiing, triathlon competitions, etc. are held in Russia. The state has been actively promoting healthy lifestyle for many years, and now we are starting to see the real fruits of this. And in a certain perspective, you want to have a “healthy nation” and a “healthy society”. But we are still at the beginning of this difficult path.
7. College sports are developing this applies to both student sports clubs and especially student sports leagues. There are already more than 30 of them in Russia today, and they still regularly appear. The Russian Student Sports Union and the Association of Student Sports Clubs interact well in student sports. It is very important to maintain this balance of competent cooperation.
8. Corporate sports has already firmly taken their place “under the sports sun”, and this is largely the merit of the Corporate Sports Development Association. It is necessary to understand that the most difficult category of citizens for sports is an active able-bodied population, which “has a lot of things to do and worries and has no time at all”. Therefore, it is very important that “near work or right at work” there are corporate sports clubs, corporate sports leagues and a large number of corporate sports competitions. Today we can say that corporate sports in Russia are really on the rise.
9. We are already finally beginning to get used to the fact that there is a place for entrepreneurial activity in Russian sports. But there are still a lot of unused opportunities and prospects here. Today we notice already developing:
- private sports clubs by different sports;
- private sports schools and academies.
Many organizers of sports events appeared (marathons, cycling, ski runs, etc.) . The state encourages entrepreneurship in sports, but this is still only the “beginning of a long way”.
10. The topic of managerial personnel for the sports industry so far does not sound ubiquitous, but is already gaining momentum. It must be perfectly understood that just 20 years ago various sports organizations (federations, leagues and clubs) began to use the concepts of “sports management”, “sports marketing”, “commercial income”, “sponsorship” and much more. After all, “Moscow was also not immediately built”, but today we can say that in Russian sports there are successful professional leagues and clubs, commercially attractive sports events, private sports schools and academies. We do not specifically mention names and surnames not to forget or offend anyone. But these are still not isolated cases. And behind each successful sports project there is a specific leader who uses skillfully management techniques and marketing tools. Therefore, we are sure that we will also master quickly all this sports “managerial wisdom”, since Russia is a really great sports power.
On November 30, a solemn ceremony of awarding laureates of the National Sports Prize of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation took place at the State Kremlin Palace. Winners were named in 18 categories in 11 nominations. These are the best regions, sports schools and sports facilities, coaches and athletes. And this once again confirms that Russian sports are developing and will live forever.
By Vladimir Lednev, Vice President of Moscow Financial and Industrial University Synergy, Scientific Director, Faculty of Sports Industry, Head of the Department of Sports Management, Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor