In the Irkutsk region they are discussing how to increase the share of students who regularly do physical education and sports. It is now only 12.3 percent, far below targets. The ministry proposes creating sports clubs, strengthening university infrastructure, and even considering a university sports complex. The council of rectors supported the initiatives and plans to seek new facilities and a pool for students.

“At present, in the Irkutsk Region, the share of students who systematically engage in physical culture and sports out of the total number of students is only 12.3%, which is below the regional average. According to the Strategy for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports in the Russian Federation until 2020, developed on the instructions of the President of Russia, by 2015 this figure should reach 60%, and by 2020 – 80% of students. That is, the share of students engaged in physical culture and sports in the Irkutsk Region should increase fivefold by 2015. The creation of sports clubs will make it possible to conduct sports work systematically and increase the number of students participating in physical culture and sports,” Pavel Nikitin noted.
One of the problems is the low level of provision of universities with sports infrastructure. Of the 37 higher education institutions and branches, only 13 provided the ministry with information about the availability of their own sports facilities. Only 12 have their own sports base. As the minister explained, if active sports work among students is carried out at universities, it would be possible to consider the issue of building an inter-university student sports complex.
To strengthen the material and technical base, it was proposed to participate more actively in the competition among institutions of secondary and higher vocational education for the best organization of physical culture and sports work among students.
The Council of Rectors of universities in the Irkutsk Region supported the ministry’s main proposals on physical culture, sports, and youth policy of the Irkutsk Region. As the Chairman of the Council of Rectors, Rector of Baikal State University of Economics and Law Mikhail Vinokurov, summed up, it is necessary to create an analogue of the previously existing sports society “Burevestnik,” and to appeal to the leadership of Irkutsk and the region regarding the allocation of land for open sports grounds, which the universities are ready to equip themselves. At the federal level, the Council of Rectors intends to work out the issue of building a swimming pool for students.
Based on materials from the press service of the Department for Physical Culture and Sports of the Irkutsk Region