Competitions at the Solnechny complex contribute to the development of swimming among youth in the Irkutsk region, according to the regional government

Competitions held at the Solnechny complex, built as part of the Gazprom children’s project, contribute to the development of swimming among youth in the Irkutsk region, Deputy Regional Sports Minister Vladimir Udovenko said on .

Currently, the championship of the Siberian Federal District is held in Solnechny. The Irkutsk competitions are qualifiers for the Russian Short Course Championships, which will take place in November in Saint Petersburg. Thanks to the Gazprom for Children project, more than two thousand sports facilities have been built and reconstructed throughout the country since 2007.

— In fact, beyond the Urals, there is probably the only [сооружение] in Siberia and the Far East. The most titled swimmers of our district come here to show decent results. This contributes to the development of swimming in the Irkutsk region, as young people admire and follow older men. As a result, it floats,” Oudovenko said.

More than 500 athletes are taking part in the Irkutsk tournament, which is a record for these competitions, including the leaders of the Russian national team. Martin Malyutin (Omsk) won at three distances and Arina Surkova (Novosibirsk) won at four.

— The swimming pool is very good in Irkutsk. I’m always happy to come here. Very good water. Overall, I really like it here,” Surkova, winner of the world and European swimming championships, said on .