On May 27, the third in 2025 meeting of the Department of Physical Culture and Sports of the Donetsk Regional State Administration was held in Poltava, both offline and online, with the participation of the Deputy Head of the Regional State Administration Igor Boyko, heads of physical culture and sports management structures of executive bodies of territorial community councils, district state administrations, military administrations, regional and local organizations of physical culture and sports.
The event addressed a number of important issues related to the development of the region's sports sector: the results of the work of the Donetsk Regional Specialized Professional College of Sports named after S. Bubka and the School of Higher Sportsmanship in 2024, the implementation of the projects of the Donetsk Regional Center for Physical Health “Sport for All”, and the preparation of Donetsk region athletes for participation in the XII World Games.
Prior to the meeting, a new SMART space was inaugurated at the Donetsk Regional Specialized Professional College of Sports named after S. Bubka, which has been operating in the premises of the Poltava National Pedagogical University named after V.G. Korolenko since spring 2022. Created at the initiative of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, the modern platform for knowledge, digital technologies, online meetings and the development of sports education will provide boys and girls with new opportunities to unleash their creative potential. The college students will have access to multimedia equipment, which opens up wide opportunities for online events, video conferencing, learning platforms and remote interaction.
“Active, smart and strong young people of Donetsk region are our hope and pride, so by creating a new educational center we are making a quality investment in the education of the younger generation of Ukraine and in the future of our sport. I wish pupils and students of the college inexhaustible inspiration to achieve the highest goals - in education, in sports, in life”, - said Igor Boyko.
In 2022-2025 a decent conditions for combining educational and training processes have been created in Poltava for young people studying at the Donetsk Regional Specialized Professional College of Sports named after S. Bubka. Currently, 15 sports are being developed at the institution. 279 pupils and students are taught by 41 coaches. According to the results of 2024, the college students gained more than 28 thousand rating points for their performances at national and international competitions. As of April 2025, the national teams of Ukraine include 34 athletes of the college.
The athletes of the School of Higher Sportsmanship of Donetsk Oblast also continue to strengthen the authority of the region and the state. In 2024 there were 268 athletes in 18 sports departments. The institution employs 46 qualified coaches and teachers. The national teams of Ukraine included 83 representatives of the School of Higher Sportsmanship of Donetsk Region. Last year the athletes of this organization won 375 medals of the Ukrainian championships in different age groups and also won 17 awards of the European championships.
The Donetsk Regional Center for Physical Health “Sport for All” continues to engage residents of the region (mostly IDPs because of war) in regular physical activity. Thus, the social project “Active Parks - Locations of Healthy Ukraine” is being implemented, with 10 coordinators organizing events in different cities. Pupils of general secondary education institutions from different communities of Donetsk Oblast experienced unforgettable emotions during the competition “Side by Side All-Ukrainian School Leagues”. In particular, the regional stage of this project in five sports – futsal, rugby-5, athletics, chess and cheerleading – brought together about 140 children.
One of the most prestigious and massive international competitions in 2025 will be the XII World Games, which will be hosted by Chengdu (People's Republic of China) in August. As part of the national team of Ukraine, 8 athletes from Donetsk region won licenses to participate in this tournament: one representative of sambo – Vladyslav Rudniev, 7 athletes of powerlifting – Oleksiy Bychkov, Andriy Shevchenko, Volodymyr Rysiyev, Kostyantyn Musiienko, Daria Rusanenko, Anastasia Derevianko and Valentyna Zahoruiko. Two more powerlifters from Donetsk Oblast have reserve licenses – Danylo Kovalov and Veronika Bordiuh. As of today, all the athletes are engaged in a full training process and focused preparation for the mentioned competitions.