Associate Professor, PhD M.A. Kuz'min¹
N.A. Zinov'ev²
P.B. Svyatchenko^{2      
1}G.V. Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow
²Baltic State Technical University "VOENMEKH" n.a. D.F. Ustinov, St. Petersburg

Keywords: university sports, university, development, activity, Physical Education Department, sport club, major avenues.

Abstract

The article considers priority development issues of the university sports in Russia. Subject to the study was the physical education and sport activity of the following four universities based in Moscow and St. Petersburg: I.M. Gubkin Russian State Oil and Gas University (Moscow); G.V. Plekhanov Russian University of Economics (Moscow); National Mineral Resource “Mining” University (St. Petersburg); and D.F. Ustinov Baltic State Technical “VOENMEKH” University (St. Petersburg). The study identified the following major development avenues of the university sports at the Physical Education (PE) Departments and in sport clubs (SC) at higher educational establishments: activities under the academic Physical Education curriculum at the Physical Education (PE) Departments designed and managed as required by the Federal State Education Standard 3+; physical education and sport events (internal and external ones); picked university teams activity management in different sport disciplines; elite university sports; informational support for the activities of the Physical Education Departments and sport clubs; circulation of documents in the Physical Education Departments and sport clubs; medical services; performance-based motivation system to encourage the coaches teams and athletes; cooperation of the Physical Education Departments with the sport clubs; sport asset management; sport group activity at the universities; commercial activity of the Physical Education Departments and sport clubs; school – university – graduate interaction system formation; students’ training for the Russian Physical Culture and Sports “Ready for Labour and Defence” (GTO) Complex tests.

Background

Modern policies of the Russian universities are geared to support the university sports on the whole and encourage the sport club movement in particular, pursuant to the President’s V.V. Putin Message to the Federal Assembly [1]. University sports imply the students’ sport activity being encouraged in a variety of sport disciplines designed within the framework of mass and elite sports [3]. The study gives an account of the university sport promotion activities by the Physical Education Departments and sport clubs of the subject universities of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Objective of the study was to identify and explore the major university sports development avenues of the subject universities in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Methods and structure of the study. Subject to the study was the physical education and sport activity of the following four universities of Moscow and St. Petersburg: I.M. Gubkin Russian State Oil and Gas University (Moscow); G.V. Plekhanov Russian University of Economics (Moscow); National Mineral Resource “Mining” University (St. Petersburg); and D.F. Ustinov Baltic State Technical “VOENMEKH” University (St. Petersburg). We used focused analysis of research literature and reports of the relevant university divisions plus discussions, interviews and internal/ external monitoring tools to identify the major development avenues of the university sports.

Study results and discussion. Having analyzed the activities of the Physical Education Departments and sport clubs of the subject universities in Moscow and St. Petersburg, we identified the following major development avenues of the university sports:

1. Activity under the academic Physical Education curriculum at the Physical Education (PE) Departments designed and managed as required by the Federal State Education Standard 3+ (400 hours). The academic curriculum includes the following two modules: Module 1 is composed of lectures (18 hours), practical methodology course (22 hours) and practical course (32 hours); and Module 2 includes practices, i.e. applied physical exercises (328 hours). Physical education lessons of the university students grouped by the sport-specific divisions are considered the most promising in the academic curriculum. Students are given every opportunity to master in the university sports starting from the initial athletic training groups.

2. Physical education and sport events at the universities may be classified as internal and external ones. The external events are focused on the physical education and sport goals as such plus the image-cultivation goals. The external events are designed to attain a variety of mass physical education and sport goals, develop a favourable psychological environment at the university and facilitate the student’s mental adaptation both to the university environment on the whole and mass university sports in particular [2].

3. Picked university teams are formed in every university sport discipline to compete mostly in their regions. It is the Moscow Students’ Sport Games (MSSG) and St. Petersburg University Sport Festival including championships in different sport disciplines that are the top-ranking events for the universities. The sport disciplines are being developed by the universities with top priority given to the Olympic sport and university sport traditions and the regional university competition programs [1].

4. Elite sports are viewed, on the one hand, as a “trade mark” of the university, and on the other hand, as an excellent motivation for the students to go in for mass university sports. Elite sports are personified by the top-class athletes who compete for top awards in the major official Russian and international sport competitions.

5. Informational support for the university sports is designed along the following lines: TV coverage services; social networks (VK, Instagram, Facebook) and university websites (including the main university website, Physical Education Department and sport club websites, and the university team websites covering different sport disciplines); and printed editions.

6. Circulation of documents regulating the university physical education and sport activities, including the following documents: statutes of sport clubs; regulations of sport festivals and competitions in different sport disciplines; reports of intra- and inter-university competitions; annual reports of specific sport groups; consolidated annual report of the sport club; university sport development concept; work schedules for one year and five years ahead; calendar schedules specific for sport disciplines; and safety instructions.

7. Medical service includes prophylactic medical examinations and medical permits for competitions issued to healthy students based on special medical support contracts formed by and between the university and a sport clinic. The medical services are provided either at clinic or at university facilities, as the occasion requires.

8. Performance-based motivation system to encourage performance of coaches and athletes is considered an efficient driver of the process. Coaches’ performance will be rated mostly by the athletes’ accomplishments at major events including regional competitions and elite sport events.

9. Cooperation of the Physical Education Departments with the sport clubs is unregulated at the moment by the existing legal and regulatory provisions. It should be noted that the goals of both of the university divisions are much the same, and it is the management cooperation that plays the key role in this situation. An efficient cooperation system will generate synergic effects to help fully employ the administrative resources of both divisions.

10. Sport assets management activity to operate a variety of university sport facilities including sport complexes, different grounds and fields, swimming pools and sport venues – falls in practice within the scope of responsibility of the Physical Education Department heads or other relevant university division heads.

11. Sport group activity at the universities is managed by the sport club director or head. It is the training schedules for different sport disciplines, health and fitness initiatives and the relevant planning and progress control activity that fall within the scope of direct responsibilities of the sport club head.

12. Commercial activity of the Physical Education Departments and sport clubs implies the university services being provided to the third corporate entities or own academic staff with the PE Departments, sport clubs or other university divisions acting on behalf of the university.

13. The school – university – graduate interaction system formation activity is designed to promote sports among school children, students, academic staff members, educators and graduates. An efficient school – university – graduate interaction system helps solve problems of vocational orientation in a most effective format as it offers the mechanisms to lure new entrants to the university, employ university graduates and raise finance for a variety of university projects. The school – university – graduate interaction system is believed to be highly beneficial in the present conditions.

14. Students’ training for the Russian Physical Culture and Sport “Ready for Labour and Defence” (GTO) Complex tests is designed to help implement a priority government policy and thereby contribute to the students’ physical development standards, cultivate their joint interests and shape up patriotism in the university communities.

Conclusion

The study identified the following major development avenues of the university sports at the Physical Education (PE) Departments and in sport clubs (SC) at higher educational establishments: activity under the academic Physical Education curriculum at the Physical Education (PE) Departments designed and managed as required by the Federal State Education Standard 3+; physical education and sport events (internal and external ones); picked university teams activity management in different sport disciplines; elite university sports; informational support for the activities of the Physical Education Departments and sport clubs; circulation of documents in the Physical Education Departments and sport clubs; medical services; performance-based motivation system to encourage the coaches teams and athletes; cooperation of the Physical Education Departments with the sport clubs; sport asset management; sport group activity at the universities; commercial activity of the Physical Education Departments and sport clubs; school – university – graduate interaction system formation; students’ training for the Russian Physical Culture and Sport “Ready for Labour and Defence” (GTO) Complex tests.

References

1. Kuz'min M.A. Model' razvitiya studencheskogo sporta v universitetakh Moskvy i Sankt-Peterburga (Model of development of university sports in Moscow and St. Petersburg universities) / M.A. Kuz'min, N.A. Zinov'ev // Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury. – 2015. – # 6. – P. 94–98.
2. Kuz'min M.A. Metodologicheskie aspekty issledovaniya faktorov adaptirovannosti sportsmenov k sorevnovaniyam (Methodological aspects of the study of factors of adjustment of athletes to competitions) / M.A. Kuz'min // Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury. – 2014. – # 2. – P. 58–60.
3. Lubysheva L.I. Analiz razvitiya studencheskogo sporta: sostoyanie i perspektivy (Analysis of university sports development: state and prospects) / L.I. Lubysheva, N.V. Peshkova // Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury. – 2014. – № 1. – P. 39.

Corresponding author: kuzmin-maxim@yandex.ru