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A whitewater complex opened in Ufa; a new sports centre, Amphibia, in Neftekamsk; a multifunctional sports complex, Energia, in Perm; and a regional training centre for adaptive sports in Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod Region. In addition, two facilities were built under the Gazprom for Children project – the Tulitsa multifunctional sports complex in Tula, and the Volna water sports centre in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends, colleagues, good afternoon. Greetings to everyone.

Before we have the pleasure to watch the presentations, I would like to say a few words.

This year, a number of new cutting-edge sports facilities opened in several Russian regions.

These include multifunctional sports complexes in Perm and Tula, the first facility of the whitewater complex in Ufa, where we are now, a water sports centre in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, a centre with a swimming pool and a videogame room in Neftekamsk, as well as an adaptive sports centre in Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod Region.

We have been joined online by our colleagues at each of these centres. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in these big projects, including regional governments and private investors, for their hard work, for their commitment to making sport more accessible, for popularising healthy lifestyles and active leisure.

It is important that as many Russians as possible choose to be guided by these values – people of all ages including adults, children and young people. It is important that people all over our country have the opportunity to participate in sports and exercise regularly, as it is particularly relevant and crucial for the quality and length of their lives, their health, for Russia’s demographics and future, and accordingly, for our country’s strength and sovereignty.

We are steadily developing the necessary sports infrastructure. Since 2019, significant resources – around 160 billion rubles -have been set aside from the federal budget for these purposes.

Hundreds of sports facilities have been commissioned, ranging from large and multifunctional ones, such as swimming pools and stadiums, to convenience local facilities, such as recreation centres and athletic grounds, to name a few. Additionally, over 760 sports schools have been outfitted with modern sports equipment.

As a result, the number of citizens who regularly engage in physical activity and take good care of their health has significantly increased. The number of the people who are regularly active has gone from 40 percent to 56.8 percent. However, this is not enough, and we must do more.

We must keep going forward. Our plans include building at least 350 sports facilities annually with the federal support, focusing primarily on small towns and villages. This will include all-purpose facilities and pre-fabricated sports grounds. Over the next six years, we will allocate at least 65 billion rubles from the federal budget to this end.

We will continue to expand accessibility of mass participation sports and sporting movements and create conditions for the effective training of professional athletes, including in adaptive sports.

I am confident we can achieve all our goals if we combine the efforts of businesses, the public authorities, and society.

I wish all the best to everyone who is on the sports grounds which we are putting into operation now. I wish every success to athletes, and talented disciples to the organisers.

(Addressing Minister of Sport Mikhail Degtyaryov.) Mr Degtyaryov, the floor is yours.

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