In the Irkutsk region they are discussing creating a system to support and train athletes from an early age to raise regional sports to a new level. Key initiatives include a regional institute of physical culture and sports, a specialized swimming school, and sports medicine development, including new departments, monitoring rooms, and a chair at ISU. Special attention is given to ensuring the growing number of people doing sports, already over 425 thousand in the region, receive affordable medical care.

- We must create a system for supporting and training elite athletes, starting from an early age. Sports in the region need to be raised to a new level. And we will do everything so that children train in sections, gyms, and on sports grounds, and young talented athletes and coaches emerge,” Sergei Eroshchenko emphasized at a meeting of the Council for Physical Culture and Sports. The Council meeting also discussed issues of managing the sports sector, training coaches, and developing sports infrastructure.
As noted by the Minister of Physical Culture, Sports and Youth Policy of the Irkutsk Region, Igor Ivanov, proposals are being prepared to create a Regional Institute for Physical Culture and Sports, with the sports complex “Baikal-Arena” potentially becoming one of its branches. It is also planned in the near future to create a regional specialized sports school for swimming.
Starting in 2013, the Sports Medicine Center of the Irkutsk Regional Medical and Physical Culture Dispensary “Zdorovye” will begin operating at the “Baikal-Arena” sports complex in Irkutsk. As the chief physician of the dispensary, Georgy Gubin, said, a concept for a sports medicine development program in the Angara region has now been prepared. In addition to modernizing the existing sports dispensaries, it is proposed to create six more branches of the IOVFD “Zdorovye” in municipal districts, as well as open 37 medical monitoring offices and establish a department of sports medicine at Irkutsk State University.
- Right now, more than 425,000 people in the Irkutsk Region are involved in sports, half of whom are registered with dispensaries. As a result of the implementation of the regional program for supporting and developing physical culture and sports, the number of athletes is growing, and we must provide everyone who is involved with accessible medical services,” Georgy Gubin noted.
Based on materials from the press service of the Government of the Irkutsk Region