Published on: 2026-08-10
Source: Government of the Russian Federation –
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On August 8, Russia celebrates Physical Culture Day – a celebration of health, movement, and an active lifestyle. It traditionally takes place on the second Saturday of August. On this day, thousands of sports festivals, marathons, and mass participation events will be held across the country.
“Russia is one of the leading sports powers on the planet, the homeland of great athletes, records, and victories. This was said by our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin recently at the opening of the ‘Games of the Future’ tournament. Today, sport unites millions of people – from professional athletes to amateurs. In our country alone, more than 84 million Russians – 62.6% – engage in physical culture and sports, which is 2.3% more than the previous year. The government pays special attention to supporting mass sports and increasing its accessibility. For example, the state program ‘Sport of Russia’ helps create infrastructure, develop the GTO complex, youth and adaptive sports, and hold major events,” noted Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.
He wished everyone involved good health, inexhaustible energy, and consistently high results.
This year, Physical Culture Day coincides with the opening ceremony of the Spartakiad of the Peoples of Russia in Yekaterinburg. About 9,000 athletes will participate in the competitions, competing in 44 sports and contesting 362 sets of awards. The events will take place in 7 regions of the country.
“This holiday has been celebrated in our country since 1939 and unites everyone who chooses an active lifestyle. Today, more than 430 thousand specialists work in the industry, and it is important to develop all areas of the sports sector: from mass sports to high-performance sports. It is symbolic that today we are launching the main national sports event – the Spartakiad of the Peoples of Russia. The competitions are held on the instructions of the head of state and will become an important stage in preparing Russian athletes for the selection for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The strongest athletes are participating,” said Minister of Sports Mikhail Degtyaryov.
As part of the celebration, the project “Health Sports – to Every Family!” will take place in 40 regions, and the “Orange Ball” competition will unite more than 26,000 participants. Additionally, nationwide events will traditionally be held to fulfill the standards of the GTO complex.
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