Following Governor of Chelyabinsk Region Petr Sumin’s decision, the regional administration for physical education, sports, and travel was transformed into a ministry in the hope of helping it deal with the mass and professional sports development in the region more effectively.

The current head of the organization Yuri Stepkin will keep on working as the ministry’s top official. The new Minister reports they are planning to support Chelyabinsk Region’s team during this year’s Olympics. Ten local athletes have already been presented with trips to Beijing.

The Ministry has been coordinating the performance of three local Olympic sports schools specializing in judo, boxing, and track-and-field athletics for three years now. Children from these schools have already proved very successful at domestic and international championships. In addition, several fitness centers and Tractor ice rink have been put up or are about to be launched.

The new ministry also intends to promote the development of mass sports and to popularize the healthy lifestyle in the region. Over 5,000 sports events are coordinated in the region every year, with 70,000 people practicing sports on a regular basis. This figure is much more impressive than the Russian average, and the number of sports-loving people keeps going up, the spokesperson for the Governor reports.