25.7 bn rubles — Tatarstan has never spent so much on sport
Where the money came from and how it was spent was reported at a collegium meeting of the Tatarstan Ministry of Sport
On Tuesday, a meeting of the collegium of the Tatarstan Ministry of Sport was held at the Volga Region State University of Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism. The ministry reported record spending on the sports sector and summed up the results of last year’s work. How 25.7 billion roubles were spent in Tatarstan — in the report by Realnoe Vremya.
Record spending
The past year was a record one for the Tatarstan Ministry of Sport. And it was not only about results, medals and athletes’ achievements. Everyone has long become accustomed to those figures. The financial situation, however, is sometimes glossed over. Meanwhile, over the past year Tatarstan spent a total of 25.7 billion roubles on the sports sector, which accounts for 3.4% of the share in the total volume of the regional budget’s expenditures. Never before has so much been spent on sport in the republic.
However, spending is increasing in proportion to other indicators. Today, more than 2.5 million people in Tatarstan, or 67.2% of the population, engage in sport on a regular basis. By 2030, this figure is expected to be raised to 75%.
Given that from 2024 to 2025 growth amounted to only about 1.4 percentage points, sports officials face a difficult task in achieving this goal. By this indicator, Tatarstan ranks second in the Volga Federal District and only tenth nationwide. At the same time, in terms of citizens’ satisfaction with conditions for physical education and sport (62.7%), the republic is among the top four regions in Russia.
Infrastructure needs support
Almost half of the total sports funding was allocated to infrastructure. In particular, 12.5 billion roubles were spent on this in Tatarstan over the past year. Work in this area will continue.
In recent years, many sports facilities have been built, primarily for the most popular sports. Thus, 44 modular ski bases, 40 hockey rinks and 23 indoor football arenas have been constructed, and last year five table tennis centres were built. As for ice palaces, according to the plan they are to be present in all districts of the republic by 2029.
The Tatarstan Ministry of Sport is counting on the early construction of a Weightlifting Centre. However, two other facilities are the most anticipated. These are the Alina Zagitova Figure Skating Centre and the Football Development Centre based at Rubin. The opening date for the former has already been set — the facility will begin operating on 1 September. All deadlines for the latter were established earlier, and there should be no delays in its completion. A total of 4.3 billion roubles will be spent on the Football Development Centre (2.3 billion from the federal budget and 2 billion from the republican budget), while the figure skating venue will cost 1.3 billion roubles.
In 2026, the opening of football arenas will continue, with such facilities planned in the Leninogorsk, Alekseyevsk, Drozhzhanovsk and Alkeyevsk districts. Indoor football facilities will be built in Kazan and Zelenodolsk under a public-private partnership programme. Here, around 172 million roubles will be invested by private investors and about 191 million roubles allocated from the federal budget.
During reports by representatives of districts and heads of sports federations, several more projects were supported by Tatarstan Deputy Prime Minister Leila Fazleeva and Sports Minister Leonov. First of all, officials expressed interest in the idea of creating a boarding school for gifted athletes in the republic. Proposals to build a Centre for Adaptive Sports and a multifunctional tactical complex for military veterans also found support.
In addition to construction, infrastructure also requires maintenance. The earliest sports facilities built are already in need of repair. In 2025, 851 million roubles were spent on these purposes — almost 200 million roubles more than in the previous reporting period.
The issue of stipends and training champion athletes
A significant share of sports spending goes towards payments to athletes, most of whom perform successfully. In 2025, athletes from Tatarstan won more than 1,000 medals at various championships and tournaments, including world and European competitions. In total, more than 1,000 athletes from Tatarstan are listed in Russia’s national teams. Hearing this information from Leonov, Russia’s Deputy Sports Minister Alexei Morozov added a remark to his colleague’s words, seemingly questioning the stated figures.
“Tatarstan has prepared one fifth of the national team members, given that there are 5,000 athletes in Russia’s national teams overall, — Morozov stressed, thanking Tatarstan for its “effective work”.
Meanwhile, the republic has increased the size of travel allowances. This issue had long been a source of conflict with athletes and coaches, but in 2025 the problem was resolved.
Over the past year, the republic has produced two new Honoured Masters of Sport of Russia, 19 Masters of Sport of International Class, 333 Masters of Sport of Russia and 1,548 Candidates for Master of Sport. At the same time, 993 athletes became eligible for state support for high sporting achievements. The republic spent 86.9 million roubles on paying them the relevant stipends. Additional payments were also secured for 61 specialists who trained leading athletes.
From the stage, Leonov stated that these payments are insufficient and that stipend amounts need to be revised.
“This problem is relevant for us. It leads to an outflow of athletes. So far this is not a mass phenomenon, but several of our athletes have moved not only to other regions, but also to other countries. We are holding the ground, but here motivation among athletes, unfortunately, comes to the fore," Leonov said.
The executive director of the Tatarstan Gymnastics Federation, Nailya Saifutdinova, supported the head of the ministry. She drew attention to the fact that republican athletes who have achieved success in sport receive less than the minimum wage.
“Water does not flow under a lying stone”
The issue of the return of Russian athletes and clubs to international competitions remains relevant. In his report to the collegium, Morozov said that 13 Russians had qualified for and received invitations to the Olympic Games starting in Italy. This number may increase through invitations extended by individual federations to Russian athletes. However, it would be unwise to count on this, the Deputy Sports Minister noted.
Morozov spoke separately about team sports. Further easing of sports sanctions against Russia is expected at the upcoming meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the end of the 2026 Olympics in Italy. It is possible that decisions will be taken there to lift certain restrictions — including allowing clubs to compete on the world stage.
As for international tournaments, Tatarstan is actively working in this direction. The republic’s Ministry of Sport plans to obtain the right to host three major competitions involving athletes from other countries:
- Youth Games of Islamic Countries;
- Nomad Games in 2028;
- First Winter CIS Games.
In addition, Kazan still retains the right to host the 2028 European Aquatics Championships. If all goes well, this tournament could become the first to be held in Russia after its return to the global stage.
“There is a saying: water does not flow under a lying stone. That is why we are taking the initiative, and then we will work it out together," Leonov said.