President of the VTB United League Sergey Kushchenko participated in Council meeting on physical education and sports in Samara. – Sports Power forum in Samara.
The 13th International Sports Forum is being held in Samara from November 5 to 7. The event annually brings together sports figures, heads of sports federations and organizations, leading coaches and mentors, famous athletes, and foreign experts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Samara today. The head of Russian Federation took part in the forum and chaired a meeting of the Council for Physical Education and Sports. The main topic of discussion was the development of youth sports.
Sergey Kushchenko, President of the VTB United League:
«Today, Russian basketball has a consistent system for developing players, from school teams to professional clubs in the VTB United League and national teams. Thanks to many years of partnership with KES-Basket (80 regions, 271,000 participants), the Student Basketball Association (71 regions, more than 10,000 participants), and sports schools, as well as the presence of youth and farm teams at clubs, a unified training system has been created. This ecosystem helps young athletes gain playing experience and receive support from coaches at every stage.
The VTB United League is actively developing the youth league as a key link in this system. Improvements in the organization of the tournament, the international status and growing fan interest provide real opportunities for players to move up to the main League. Over the past 2 seasons, more than 40 players from the Youth League have played in the main VTB United League teams.
We view the development of Russian players as a continuous path – from children’s basketball to participation in the VTB United League and national teams of all ages.
Our goal is to strengthen the training system within the country, making it self-sufficient and open to the exchange of experience at the international level».
