A member of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs Marat Bariev expressed the opinion that it is necessary to popularize intellectual sports at the all-Russian level.
According to the deputy, the policy of the authorities of a particular region significantly affects the number of people involved in intellectual sports. As an example, he cited the first President of Kalmykia and the sixth President of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who promoted chess in Kalmykia.
As addition, e-sports disciplines may appear in some Russian universities. It is also planned to introduce courses on data analysis, computer games development and the use of modern technology in the creation of films and other video content. These disciplines, according to preliminary data, will be introduced by December 2022.
According to the document approved on July 23 by the government commission on digital development headed by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, 17.6 billion roubles will be allocated for the programme until 2024, of which 8.6 billion roubles will be given from the federal budget.
An informed source said that the project was initiated by Rostelecom. The company explained that computer games can develop creativity, the ability to make quick decisions, manage stress, and have a beneficial effect on the development of cognitive abilities.
Editor’s note: Currently, Ilyumzhinov is actively promoting the idea of creating a domestic platform MASS CHESS, to hold global chess tournaments "city vs city", "country vs country", etc., and for students "school vs school".