A TRACK-AND-FIELD ARENA OPENED IN SMOLENSK

Governor Sergey Antufiev participated in the ceremony of the opening of the renovated track-and-field arena in F.T. Mikheenko Specialized Sports School of Olympic Reserve for Children and Youth (Tvardovskiy Street, 14).

The Honoured master of sports, champion of Europe, champion of the world and the Olympic Games, deputy of the Smolensk regional Duma Olga Kuzenkova and other honourable guests took part in the solemn arrangements.

In 2010, the indoor arena was totally reconstructed including interior furnishing, reequipment of the rooms, and modern ventilation setting. The means had been received from the reserve of the Administration of the region. Moreover, a considerable sum was directed in accordance with the project of the party ‘Yedinaya Rossiya’ (‘United Russia’). As a result, over 21 million rubles were spent on making this object satisfy the highest sports standards.

‘I am in good spirits, and this renovated arena is good as well. I am sure the costs will prove to be correct. If the authorities declare that they will foster the development of physical culture and sports, and popularization of healthy life-style, we ought to do our best to construct the corresponding sport buildings in the region where young citizens of Smolensk could go in for track and field athletics’, marked Sergey Antufiev.

Being interviewed the Head of the region also informed of the prospects of the regional sports infrastructure development: ‘The next serious project is the new sports core of the Academy of Physical Training, Sport and Tourism holding a track-and-field arena and a stadium, a 50-metre swimming pool, and a short-track ice arena. We ought to spend over 1 milliard rubles in sum. Therefore, we are to try to receive the money from the federal budget. Another large-scale project of 2011 is the beginning of the construction of a universal sport complex in Dorogobuzh and the construction of two gymnasiums in the district centres Khislavichi and Novodugino. This year, we are ordering a project of an ice palace in Vyazma. Yartsevo is next in turn’.

The Specialized Sports School of Olympic Reserve for Children and Youth was set up in 1936. Since 1998, it has been bearing the name of the Honoured worker of physical training and sport Fedor Timofeevich Mikheenko, the coach of the Olympic champion Olga Kuzenkova, one of the leading specialists in track-and-field throwing in Russia. The sports school has prepared over 70 masters of sports and over 20 masters of sports of international class within 75 years of its existence. Lots of them became record-holders of Russia and the world. Today, 660 people under the direction of 21 coaches attend the establishment, and 16 of them have the highest coach category.

In 1989, the building of the track-and-field arena in Tvardovskiy Street was put into operation. That allowed the sportsmen to train regularly in winter. At present, over 10 sportsmen of the school are members of the combined team of Russia and laureates of the Presidential prize for talented youth. The master of sports Aleksey Fedorov, a student of this school, became the winner of the European Triple Jump Championship among juniors in 2009.