Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko convened the first meeting of the Russian organising committee for the preparation and holding of the Years of Russian-Chinese Cooperation in Physical Fitness and Sports.
It was attended by Presidential Aide Igor Levitin, Minister of Sport Oleg Matytsin, President of the Olympic Committee Stanislav Pozdnyakov, and Sverdlovsk Region Governor Yevgeny Kuivashev, as well as officials from the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Regional Development, the Federal Antimonopoly Service and the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs.
The decision to hold the Years of Russian-Chinese Cooperation in Physical Fitness and Sport in 2022-2023 was made during a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The participants approved the plan for the main events of the Years of Russian-Chinese Cooperation, including competitions that will be held between athletes from both countries.
“Holding cross years of cooperation between Russia and China in physical fitness and sport is a confirmation of the strategic partnership between our countries,” Dmitry Chernyshenko said. “We have gained extensive experience in joint sporting events. About 450 of them were included in the main cross-year plan, such as tournaments among professional athletes and amateurs, as well as sports educational and scientific events. A separate section of the plan is dedicated to test matches for the first ever Games of the Future to be held in Russia in 2024.”
The Deputy Prime Minister instructed the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Sport and other stakeholder agencies to hold a teleconference with China in December to review the 2022 key sports performance results.
“It is important for us to promote the activities in the plan. We are counting on the support of the Russian and Chinese media. This will allow the people in our countries to see spectacular sporting events, root for the participants of the student and children's competitions, and feel the spirit of healthy sports competition and patriotism,” he added.
The participants also discussed preparations for the International University Sports Festival. Under presidential instruction, this was included in the cross-year plan. The festival will take place in Yekaterinburg in August-September 2023 with the participation of university teams from the BRICS, SCO, CIS and other countries. As many as 193 sets of medals will be available in 14 sports.
The activities included in the plan highlight our comprehensive cooperation with China and cover almost all athletic activities. Over the past year, we have held over 100 joint events. The Chinese women's handball team, Phoenix-Sport, is participating in the Russian championship; hockey clubs from China play in the Continental Hockey League and the Women's Hockey League; and Russian and Chinese volleyball teams held joint training events. Now, the Russian team is getting ready for the Russian-Chinese Winter Youth Games, which will open in Jilin Province on 14 December. More than 100 athletes are preparing for the tournament. We focus particularly on sanitary and epidemiological safety measures,” Oleg Matytsin said.
The 3rd Russian-Chinese Winter Youth Games will be held in Jilin Province from 15 to 20 December. The programme includes competitions in cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, snowboarding, speed skating, short track, figure skating, curling and freestyle. The 9th Russian-Chinese Summer Youth Games will be held as part of the cross-years as well and will take place in Chongqing in the summer of 2023.
