News

The first day of the 76th meeting of the Council of Legislators of the Volga Federal District included a visit to the Zenit Football Development Center. There, heads of legislative bodies from Russian regions toured the facility’s infrastructure, observed its operations, and evaluated training programs in football, gorodki (Russian skittles), mas-wrestling, and Russian lapta (traditional bat-and-ball game).
A master class on gorodki—a traditional Slavic sport involving knocking down wooden figures—was organized for the visiting officials.
Later, lawmakers held a roundtable discussion on promoting national sports among youth.
Participants included:
Oleg Mashkovtsev, Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative of the Russian President in the Volga Federal District;
Dmitry Kabailo, Minister of Sports of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast;
Vladislav Chesnokov, First Deputy Minister of Physical Culture and Sports of Penza Oblast;
Representatives of sports federations and public organizations from across the district.
Oleg Mashkovtsev highlighted Penza’s deep football traditions:
"Penza Oblast has a rich football history. It’s inspiring to see children playing despite the weather. I spoke with young players from FC Zenit and promised to arrange a match for them against Khimik from Dzerzhinsk."
Vadim Supikov emphasized the discussion’s importance for preserving Russia’s cultural heritage:
"Traditional sports also foster athletes’ physical development, resilience, and civic patriotism—qualities of critical importance today."
He added:
"Developing these sports requires a comprehensive approach: securing funding, training coaches, organizing competitions, and ensuring accessible facilities and equipment."
Participants exchanged best practices on forming regional sports federations and strategies to promote traditional sports at local and municipal levels.