SOCHI, August 26 (Itar-Tass) — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrived at a major base of the RF Ministry of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy to meet the winners of the Summer Universiade in Shenzhen.
First of all Medvedev will examine the Southern Federal Centre for Sports Training, created in 2006 by the Ministry of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy. Officials are particularly proud of this sports centre: national teams in summer and winter sports undergo training for competitions here. The centre holds the Russian football championships, international football tournaments under the auspices of FIFA and UEFA, the football President’s Cup among the disabled, qualifying round matches of the European Championship.
The president will also be shows a modern recreation and rehabilitation centre, which offers around 100 special remedial and preparatory procedures for athletes.
Medvedev has already visited this complex in 2009. Then he spoke to the track-and-field athletes. Then the complex was still under construction. So the Ministry of Sports and Tourism now has decided to invite the head of state to assess the centre’s possibilities.
After seeing the complex on Friday the head of state will talk over a cup of tea with the heroes of the 26th Summer Universiade in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. Medvedev will talk to all 42 winners of gold medals at the Universiade. In the unofficial team standings Russia ranked second at this tournament, second only to China.
The Federal State Unitary Enterprise Southern Federal Centre for Sports Training (Sport South) was founded in April 2006. Sport South includes the central stadium, a weightlifting centre and a yacht club. It also has a hotel complex, including the Parus Hotel equipped for wheelchair users. In 2010 alone, the base services were used by 26 federations of summer and winter sports, and the enterprise hosted 42 competitions of different levels.
Sport South is the only multi-functional centre for training national teams for summer and winter sport disciplines in Southern Russia. The complex provides full-cycle training for athletes and, owing to the unique climate in the city of Sochi, can operate year round, according to the RF government website.
The centre has complete facilities for: training and orientation camps in track and field, yachting, weight-lifting, football, rugby, cycling and archery; general physical training and rehabilitation camps for boxing, taekwondo, judo, track-and-field and for winter sports such as bobsled, skeleton, short track, skating, figure skating, freestyle, sled sports (sled and naturbahn), downhill skiing and snowboard; orientation camps for paralympic teams in the following disciplines: sport for the deaf (track and field), sport for the blind (judo, football), football for cerebral palsy sufferers, sport for locomotor impairment (track and field, biathlon).
In addition, Sport South is the largest venue in the south of the country for amateur sport and physical fitness and recreation events.
Sport South includes the following team sport, physical education and recreation facilities: the central stadium (opened in 1966), 10,200 capacity; weight-lifting centre (opened in August, 2009); yachting club (operating since 1980); harbour with an area of 10,500 sq m, 50 yacht capacity; hotel complex including the Parus Hotel equipped for disabled people in wheelchairs.
In 2009, Sport South hosted 59 training orientation camps in 15 sports. In 2010, the centre provided services for 26 summer and winter sports federations, it has organised 42 competitions of various levels.