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- Strength in spirit: the concept of adaptive sports development will appear in the Russian Federation
Strength in spirit: the concept of adaptive sports development will appear in the Russian Federation
Over 7 million Russians with disabilities can play sports, but so far less than 10% of sports facilities in the country have special equipment. This was stated by Vladimir Putin on May 28 at a meeting of the relevant council. According to him, by 2030 these facilities will be retrofitted with special equipment. Separately, the head of state instructed to allocate extra-budgetary funds to support adaptive sports and called for the development of a concept for the development of this area for the period up to 2030. It was also decided at the meeting to support the development of competitions among people with disabilities — this is especially important for the rehabilitation process of ITS fighters.
How many sports facilities in the Russian Federation are equipped with special equipment
Vladimir Putin held a meeting of the Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports via video link on the evening of May 28. It discussed the improvement of adaptive sports for people with disabilities.
Today, about 11 million Russians have disabilities or health restrictions, while over 7 million of them do not have any medical contraindications for sports. Moreover, they are even recommended to many. However, only a tenth of the 370,000 sports facilities in the country are adapted for people with disabilities and have special equipment and facilities, Vladimir Putin noted. Therefore, much more needs to be done to support and ensure adaptive sports, he stressed.
— When we know that so far only less than 10% of these facilities have special equipment, it means that there is still a lot to be done. There are actually innumerable problems, as people say," the head of state noted.
He instructed to complete the inventory of all sports facilities in Russia by the end of the year, and to retrofit them with special equipment by 2030.
Another important condition for an active life and physical education for people with disabilities is the quality of prosthetics. For this purpose, unified centers of prosthetic and orthopedic care will be launched in the Russian Federation. The legislation already establishes clear requirements for their activities — first of all, they relate to the qualifications of specialists.
In addition, the President instructed to step up efforts to support Russian manufacturers of prosthetic and orthopedic products.
"This approach will help protect citizens from unfair services in this area," the president is confident.
Vladimir Putin supported the proposal to expand support measures for manufacturers of sports equipment and equipment designed for people with disabilities.
Russia has made great strides in creating a barrier-free environment over the past 20 years, Mikhail Terentyev, head of the All-Russian Society for the Disabled, Paralympic champion, and State Duma deputy, told Izvestia. At the same time, the development of sports infrastructure for people with disabilities should become one of the central topics today, since physical activity also affects the psychological state of people.
Athletes with disabilities themselves spoke at the meeting. For example, one of the participants of the meeting said that athletes with disabilities need special equipment. To solve the problem, she asked to create rental points for sports equipment for people with disabilities. The President agreed and noted that this would make adaptive sports more accessible, so that not only individual but also collective equipment would be available to try their hand in different directions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting of the Presidential Sports Council on the development of adaptive physical culture and adaptive sports via videoconference on May 28, 2025.
Another problem was transport accessibility and special transport for people with disabilities. The President said that by 2030, 150 billion rubles have already been allocated to create a fleet of specialized vehicles for people with disabilities. At the same time, the head of state called for the development of social transport in general. He drew the attention of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to this.
"It's not so easy to get from one end of the city to the other, even for people without any health restrictions," Putin said.
Why adaptive sports are important in the rehabilitation of their fighters
Vladimir Putin instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to develop a Concept for the development of adaptive sports and physical education until 2030 and for the future until 2036, as well as to allocate extra-budgetary funds for additional support and popularization of projects in the field of adaptive sports, including through the creation of the Russian Sports Fund, which will begin work in June 2025.
Dmitry Milyaev, Chairman of the relevant commission of the State Council, Governor of the Tula Region, proposed including physical rehabilitation services for the disabled in regional lists of public services. The President supported the idea. It was also noted at the meeting that today it is worth seriously expanding the calendar of competitions in the field of adaptive sports, ranging from amateur and regional to major international tournaments.
The president also considers it right to increase payments for victories in international competitions to Paralympians, Deaflympians and their mentors. Another task will be to provide decent work for those who work directly with people with disabilities, such as adaptive sports coaches, instructors, and doctors.
The status of the Defenders of the Fatherland Cup finals is also increasing — now they will be held for the prize of the President of the Russian Federation. At the same time, the cup tournaments will have to be included in the plans of national and regional sporting events. Veterans of a special military operation, as well as all those who have the status of combat participants and veterans of military service, should also participate in them. Sports activities in general should be accessible to veterans of the military, the president said.
— A separate and important task is to provide the widest possible opportunities for sports to be available to veterans of a special military operation who return to civilian life, sometimes after severe combat wounds. I know that many of them not only play sports regularly, but have also become members of national teams, participate in competitions of various levels, inspire with their courage, and set an example to others," the president said.
Adaptive sports are critically important for the rehabilitation of fighters, as they restore not only the body — mobility and strength — but also the psyche. The main interest of the injured servicemen is aroused by seven classical disciplines: kettlebell lifting, arm wrestling, table tennis, knife throwing, shooting, bench press, darts, said Yuri Alyoshin, Deputy ataman of the TVKO for rehabilitation, adaptation and career guidance of the participants of the SVO.
— There is interest in other sports, it is necessary to prepare the infrastructure for them and, of course, help the guys to form teams. We are currently developing such opportunities together with rehabilitation centers. This is important because such competitions give participants a sense of victory over themselves and circumstances, they will strengthen the community of veterans, creating support and healthy competition. It is a bridge between a hospital bed and a full life, especially for those who have suffered amputations or spinal injuries. Recently, there have been requests, for example, for swimming competitions and holding an analog of the Paralympic Games — this confirms that the fighters want not just to rehabilitate themselves, but to feel strong and successful again," he said.
At the meeting, Anna Tsivileva, State Secretary, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and head of the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, proposed that the organization be given the opportunity to help active military personnel with disabilities in sports. Vladimir Putin promised to expand the powers of the foundation.
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