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Other participants included Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, Aide to the President Igor Levitin, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Volga Federal District Igor Komarov, Perm Region Governor Dmitry Makhonin and Chairman of the Russian Boxing Federation’s Executive Committee Umar Kremlyov.

The President saw seven presentations. Those on moral and patriotic education, defence and sports included presentations of the Alexander Nevsky Games, the Ready for Labour and Defence (GTO) sports excellence test and the Voin (Warrior) Centre for Military and Sports Training and Patriotic Education. The President also listened to presentations about new international sports competitions, including the Games of the Future, the BRICS Games and the Friendship Games. There was also a presentation on the Perm Territory’s development.

After that, the President took part in a videoconference to open new sports facilities in five Russian regions. These included a wrestling centre in Ulyanovsk, a gymnastics centre in Tobolsk, a sports and health centre in Bryansk, a sports centre with a swimming pool in Balabanovo, and the Presidentsky (Presidential) comprehensive sports and health centre in Magadan.

Before that, Vladimir Putin addressed the plenary session of the Russia – Country of Sports International Sports Forum.

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Remarks at the ceremony to open new sports facilities

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends!

Congratulations to all of you on this wonderful occasion for Balabanovo, Bryansk, Magadan, Tobolsk, and Ulyanovsk where great sports facilities have opened.

I would like to thank everyone who took part in making sure that these facilities can open today, including the construction workers, engineers, and private contractors whose names I can see on posters and which made a meaningful contribution to these efforts, and of course I extend my gratitude to senior regional and municipal-level officials.

People have been waiting for these facilities to open for a very long time. We open quite a few of them every year, but there are still too few of them in Russia for us to reach the standard we have set for ourselves in terms of promoting physical fitness and sports. We want 70 percent of people in Russia to practice sports across the country, people of all ages and regardless of their health status. The fact that everyone, both young and old, will be able to exercise and engage in sports activities at these five new locations in five regions of the Russian Federation is a very good step forward.

Once again, congratulations to all of you. I wish you all the best in making full use of these new sports facilities.

Thank you very much. Take care.