Today, November 6, as part of the 13^th International Sports Forum "Russia: Country of Sports", the event "Sport for the Future: Winning Together" was held.

The plenary hall of the Vladimir Vysotsky Sports and Concert Complex "Dvorets Sporta" hosted distinguished guests — Russian Minister of Sport, President of the Russian Olympic Committee Mikhail Degtyarev; Minister of Sport and Tourism of the Republic of Belarus Sergey Kovalchuk; Minister of Sport of the Republic of Serbia Zoran Gajic; Minister of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerbol Myrzabosynov; Minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture of the Republic of Zimbabwe Anselem Sanyatwe; Secretary General (Asia Cooperation Dialogue) Nasser Radan Tamer Al-Mutairi; President of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Zambia, Vice-President of the Association of National Olympic Committees Alfred Foloko.

The event was moderated by Dmitry Guberniev — a sports commentator for the "Match TV" channel and an advisor to the General Director of the "Russia 1" TV channel.

A delegation from the All-Russian Sports Federation of the Deaf, headed by Dmitry Rebrov, was present at the event. During the event, the OSFSG President spoke with State Duma Deputy Mikhail Terentiev.

The highlight of the plenary session of the 13^th International Sports Forum "Russia: Country of Sports" was the address by Russian President Vladimir Putin, which took place at the end of the event. At the beginning of his speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the immense importance of sport in the life of the country:

"We are all well aware of the importance of sport as a universal tool for developing a person's physical, creative, and spiritual potential. And we understand that many challenges of the modern world can only be overcome together".

The President of Russia noted that the position of the Russian Federation remains unchanged — athletes' access to international tournaments must be equal, justified by their sporting merits, and that politics has no place in sport:

"Sport is meant to unite people, to build bridges between nations. This embodies its high mission, one of the fundamental purposes of international sports organizations' activities".

In his speech, Russian Minister of Sport, President of the Russian Olympic Committee Mikhail Degtyarev pointed out:

"Our current slogan, 'Sport for the Future: Winning Together,' is, of course, connected with the younger generation, with children, with our future, for whom we are doing all this. Champions win to become a guiding star for the rising generation of athletes. We, the leaders, organize the process, just as parents raise children, we care for Russia."

Text: Olga Troinikova

Photo: Roscongress Photobank

Translation: Daria Kudelina