Smolensk strengthens the status of an international sports venue: Russia, Belarus and Uzbekistan discussed the development of youth sports

Smolensk has confirmed its position as a key centre of international sporting cooperation. The city hosted a working meeting dedicated to the development of cooperation in the sports industry, science and education, which was attended by representatives of Russia, Belarus and Uzbekistan. The event, held on the basis of the Smolensk State University of Sports (SGUS), was attended by the Minister of Sports of the region Viktor Kiryushkin, the leadership of the university (acting rector Kirill Khorunzhy, acting vice-rector Anna Mazurina and Olympic champion Olga Kuzenkova), as well as eminent athletes and functionaries.

Key speakers were:

Sergey Fomin – President of SROO “FBSO”, Deputy of the Smolensk regional Duma;

Sergey Rutenko – Chairman of the Belarusian Basketball Federation;

Botir Miradilov – Secretary General of the Basketball Federation of Uzbekistan;

Sergey Monya – bronze medalist of the Olympic Games, head of the department of national and reserve teams of the RFB;

Kirill Ivchenkov is the chief specialist of the reserve preparation department for men's teams.

The meeting participants outlined plans for the implementation of joint projects, the exchange of methods for training athletes and holding common events. Special attention was paid to creating conditions for the growth of young talents. The expansion of the geography of the School Basketball League within the framework of the United Russia party project “Children’s Sports” to involve more schoolchildren in basketball classes was also discussed.

Governor Vasily Anokhin stressed that the region is systematically developing sports infrastructure. According to him, joint projects with colleagues from Belarus and Uzbekistan will become not only a tool for friendly interaction, but also a real contribution to the development of sports, helping young people grow healthy and strong.