Mikhail Degtyarev at the Znanie.State forum: we fight for every athlete and are returning Russia to the international arena
The Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation and President of the Russian Olympic Committee, Mikhail Degtyarev, spoke at the Znanie.State forum of the Russian society Znanie held at the National Centre RUSSIA. In a dialogue with state and municipal officials, he spoke about the strategy for returning Russian sport to the international arena, the objectives of restoring the status of the Russian Olympic Committee, and the key areas for the development of mass and youth sport in the country.
Mikhail Degtyarev emphasised that in 2024 the Ministry of Sport of Russia significantly revised its approach to the development of the sector. According to him, without international competitions and participation in the Olympic movement, the level of Russian sport would inevitably begin to decline. For this reason, the priority became participation in competitions wherever possible and the fight for the admission of every athlete.
"I believe it is wrong to prevent athletes from competing on the international stage. They compete for Russia, bring medals to Russia, and serve as role models for future generations by becoming champions," the minister noted.
Speaking about current results and near-term objectives, Mikhail Degtyarev said that the process of restoring full rights is under way in various sports, while the key task of the year is the return of the status of the Russian Olympic Committee. He also noted the importance of the national team’s participation in the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar as a step that opens the way to full participation in the 2028 Olympic Games.
During the discussion, the minister also spoke about measures aimed at the systematic development of sport within the country. He stressed that today tens of millions of citizens are engaged in sport, and that the goal by 2030 is to increase the share of people who regularly engage in physical activity, as set by the President of Russia. Mikhail Degtyarev added that achieving this goal requires the state to build a unified approach to managing this sector and its resources at the national level.
The minister paid particular attention to the updated state programme "Sport of Russia", which, according to him, for the first time linked regional funding and sports development programmes to common goals and indicators, and also made it possible to see the full volume of financing for the sector, taking into account different sources.
"This did not exist before. For the first time, all regional funding has been brought together within the state programme 'Sport of Russia'. We began to incorporate funds from state corporations, businesses, and public organisations — sports federations. As a result, we have already identified around 610 billion roubles per year, while the federal budget of the Ministry of Sport is about 70 billion," Mikhail Degtyarev said.
The minister emphasised that growth in mass participation is impossible without accessible infrastructure, support for sport in the regions, and the development of youth sport. Among the mechanisms, he cited the new "Zemsky Coach" ("Rural Coach") programme, aimed at attracting specialists to small towns and rural areas, as well as measures to provide children with equipment and gear, including through the Russian Sports Fund.
"There is a shortage of coaches in remote areas — around 2,900 vacancies. We launched the 'Zemsky Coach' programme: one million roubles in federal support, with regions usually adding their own funding. And starting this year, 900 million roubles per year have been allocated in the budget for a three-year period," he noted.
Speaking about state regulation in professional sport, Mikhail Degtyarev addressed in particular the issue of foreign football players in Russian clubs. He stressed that the state has a clear, limited, but important management tool that works to expand opportunities for Russian players and develop the sports reserve.
"The state has one instrument — to determine how many foreign players can be on the pitch. Everything else is the responsibility of leagues and federations. We will make a decision: by 2028, there will be no more than five foreign players on the pitch. Full stop," Mikhail Degtyarev stated.
The minister also answered questions from forum participants about support for sports projects, including the "You’re in the Game" contest, the development of esports and phygital disciplines, support for amateur sport, and the simplification of procedures for obtaining sports ranks for athletes who are not affiliated with sports schools or clubs.
"We are currently working on a separate status for amateurs — an amateur athlete or individual athlete — who will be able to apply for the awarding of sports ranks and titles," he said.
Znanie.State is a large-scale educational project of the Russian society Znanie for state and municipal officials, enabling them to gain a deeper understanding of the history, culture, economy, and geopolitics of Russia. The project has been implemented since 2022 and includes lectures and federal broadcasts from the multimedia studios of the Russian society Znanie. Over more than two years, more than 30,000 lectures have been delivered across all regions of Russia as part of the Znanie.State project, reaching an audience of over four million people.
