Vladimir Putin: “It is of fundamental importance to keep the competitive activity of Russian athletes under pressure”

It is fundamentally important to maintain the competitive activity of Russian athletes in the current conditions of pressure, as well as to create open and attractive multi-stage tournaments in which foreign athletes can compete, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports on Tuesday.

– In the current conditions of pressure that Russia and its citizens are facing, it is fundamentally important to maintain the competitive activity of athletes. It is necessary to create multi-stage sports tournaments that are open and attractive from all points of view. Ensure the participation of foreign athletes, clubs and teams.

Putin also called for an increase in spending on sports in the regions of the Russian Federation from 2025.

– Previously, it was decided that the subjects of the federation would allocate at least 2 percent of the budget to regional sports. I propose to think about how to increase spending on sports from 2025 and do it in such a way that there are no gaps in financing, quality and accessibility of sports infrastructure, depending on the capabilities of the region. And we have different ones,” the head of state said.