The 7th All-Russian research-to-practice conference entitled Current Issues of Youth Physical Education of and Student Sports has been held at Saratov State University.

The SSU forum is organised jointly with the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation and the Russian Students Sports Union. Traditionally, the representatives of the sports community gather face-to-face and online from Samara to Adygea, this year, participants from Donetsk and Luhansk have joined.

SSU Rector Alexei Chumachenko addressed those present at the opening.

‘We are glad to welcome our guests. Surely, the professionals have gathered here who have something to discuss. This is especially relevant in terms of the agenda proposed in the message of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to the Federal Assembly on the duration and quality of life of our citizens. Of course, sports and health-saving technologies are of great importance today.’

The colleagues were welcomed by Rector of the Russian University of Sport «GTSOLIFK», President of the Russian Students Sports Union Sergei Seiranov.

‘With our conference, with all our work, we support the activities of the relevant federal ministries. We are moving together with you, developing student sports, and doing a lot for the physical education of young people. We host 140 All-Russian student sports competitions in 55 sports, including 29 Olympic and 26 non-Olympic ones. This year, the 8th All-Russian Winter Universiade has been held, and the 9th All-Russian Summer Universiade will be organised in the summer. In May, competitions have been held as the Games of the Future, in general, digital sports is gaining more and more popularity among young people,’ the president of the sports union Sergei Seiranov shared sports trends and achievements.

Director of the Federal Sports Reserve Training Centre of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation Kadria Akhmerova emphasized the important role of students in the development of the sports movement.

‘Today, a lot depends on students and postgraduates. Students are the very elite that moves humanity. Your potential, your abilities, both physical and mental, will be useful in all areas, especially in the physical training and sports. You do not have to be a great athlete – you must be a great citizen of your country,’ Kadria Akhmerova commented.

First Deputy Minister of Youth Policy and Sports of Saratov Region Alexander Abrosimov noted that there are students in Saratov who deserve to compete at regional and federal competitions.

‘Student sports is one of the most relevant areas. Here, of course, one cannot do without the support of the rectors’ corps, the scientific community, and the students themselves. Together, we will be able to bring student sports to a higher level,’ he marked.

Anna Briness, Deputy Director of the Department of State Youth Policy and Educational Affairs of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia, drew attention to the role of science in the development of sports.

‘The big task of preserving people's health and well-being is in research, because without progress in science it will be difficult for us to understand and implement future development options in this area. The second thing that is very important is the harmonious development and upbringing of people. And here, too, research must be developed.’

The moderator of the plenary session of the conference was Chair of the Expert Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Chair of the Department of Physical Training of Orenburg State Medical University Marina Yermakova. During two days, the conference participants will discuss current issues of the development of the sports movement at break-out sessions.

After the plenary session and the sections, an open meeting of the editorial board of the Physical Training and Student Sports scientific journal was held in Bldg. 10, SSU.

Rector of the Russian University of Sport «GTSOLIFK», President of the Russian Students Sports Union Sergei Seiranov thanked SSU Rector Alexei Chumachenko for fruitful cooperation. Sergei Seiranov also noted the work of the members of the editorial board and the staff who carry out technical work on the journal.

The meeting was devoted to the issues of improving the journal and further plans for its development.

‘Saratov State University successfully copes with the tasks set and the appearing difficulties. It is important not only the desire of the editorial board to invest in the development of the journal, but also the opportunity to present it at various events to further attract the audience,’ Alexei Chumachenko said.

Professor of the Department of Political Sciences Alexander Kazakov made a report on the achievements and interim results of the editorial board’s work over the past year. According to the online resource elibrary.ru, the papers of the journal were cited about 110 times, and 561 users viewed the issues last year. In the professor’s opinion, on average two authors work on one article of the journal, experienced experts and scientists are mainly published there.

First Vice-President of the Russian Students Sports Union Roman Olkhovskii spoke about the opportunities for the development and promotion of the scientific journal. For its development, according to him, it is important to pay attention to the interdisciplinarity of research, expand international cooperation, and conduct an information campaign to popularise the journal.

Chair of the Department of Physical Education of Orenburg State Medical University Marina Yermakova commented on the difficulties encountered during the preparation of the issue, and reminded the audience about the requirements for the papers in the scientific journal.

During the meeting, Alexei Chumachenko and Sergei Seiranov presented letters of appreciation to the staff of SSU for assistance in the establishment and development of the scientific journal Physical Training and Student Sports. There were awarded Vice-Rector for Research and Digital Development Alexei Koronovskii, Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Organisational Work Anton Golovchenko, Head of the Office for Publishing Victoria Khalova, Director of Saratov State University Publishing House Irina Buchko, an editor of SSU Publishing House Elena Mitenyova and a technical editor of SSU Publishing House Ivan Kargin.

As part of the 7th Current Issues of Youth Physical Training and Student Sports All-Russian research-to-practice conference, there were held panel discussions, break-out sessions, discussion of hypotheses of recent research, a training seminar, and an open meeting of the RSSU expert council.