The Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation reported about playing sports
The number of Russians systematically involved in sports continues to grow. This follows from the report of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation, according to which, in 2024, it first exceeded 80 million people. This is over 60% of the total population. The numbers made in the Ministry of Sports do not contradict those published by VTsIOM. His study states that three quarters of Russians are engaged in physical and sports with different frequency and sports.
On April 14, the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation published a annual combined report telling about the activities of the department. The most interesting part of it concerns the assessment of involvement in physical education and sports. According to the Ministry of Sports, last year, the number of Russians involved in them increased by 3.5% compared to 2023, reaching 80.452 million people. This corresponds to a share of 60.3% of the total number of residents of Russia aged 3 to 79 years.
Why the ministry can position the figure as its achievement, understandable. The task of a sharp increase in the number of physical education and sports in the country was recorded as one of the key in the Decree of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin “On national purposes of the development of the Russian Federation for the period until 2030” from July 2020. It set the task of bringing them to a share to 70% in ten years.
She looked extremely complicated. The fact is that at the time of the publication of the decree, the share did not even reach 45 percent and was extremely low in comparison with similar indicators in most European countries and the USA. In addition, it seemed not to be chosen for its production: the pandemic of coronavirus reduced the availability of sports facilities and events.
However, despite this, the share really grew rather stormy pace. Moreover, the intensity of growth was not affected by another negative factor that arose soon.
In 2022, a whole package of international sanctions collapsed to the Russian sports industry, which, as it was believed, had to adversely affect the popularity of sports in general. However, already during the period of their actions, that is, literally in two years, the indicator of the “sports involvement” of citizens of the Russian Federation jumped from a 50 percent border to 60 percent, even if in the statistics of the department, not only species that suggest serious motor activity play an important role. The top ten most popular among Russians got chess and even sports programming. Moreover, programming with more than 2.2 million involved is in fourth place, losing only volleyball, swimming and quite predictably leading the rating of football (3.5 million engaged).
Commenting on these data for lectures for the creators and directors of creative events, the Senezh Management workshop, the Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation Mikhail Degtyarev noted that “sports unites 80 million people”, clarifying that by 2030 it is planned to bring an indicator to one hundred million. “This is a national goal,” Mr. Degtyarev emphasized.
Not so long ago, at the end of last year, the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation questioned the correctness of some calculations of the Ministry of Sports after the audit of the department. There were complaints about statistics regarding just physical education and sports. Thus, the Accounts Chamber noted that from the calculations, citizens who have contraindications and restrictions for such classes are excluded and that the data provided by the federal body may not take into account the “systematic” classes, as well as the facts of registering people in several sports clubs at once.
In addition, the auditors were surprised by the rapid growth of interest in physical education and sports during the pandemic coronavirus recorded in the documents.
However, the fresh numbers of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation are well correlated with numbers from the study of the VTsome on the same topic, released almost simultaneously. 75% of the survey respondents reported that « with different frequency they are engaged in physical education and sports. » And among young people (age category from 18 to 33 years), the share of such people is even higher – 85%.
The study contains recommendations for « increasing the attractiveness of mass sports. » They come down to an increase « Price affordability », « Propaganda of a healthy lifestyle » And « Improving the relevant infrastructure ». The importance of the last VTsIOM factor illustrates statistics. In Moscow and St. Petersburg, where “favorable conditions for sports are created”, “on average there are 1.4 times more“ regular ”athletes than in settlements of other types.” “Regional” athletes “often give preference to sports that do not require special equipment and excessive costs – running, sports walking”, while “fitness leads in both capitals”.
