Sport in Ukraine has always been an integral part of life. Initially, being physically developed was a necessity caused by numerous battles. However, later, the priorities changed, and people started playing sports to keep fit and improve their health.

In my opinion, in recent years, much has been said that Ukraine’s sports system is outdated, does not correspond to modern realities, does not yield results, and needs radical changes. We have before our eyes the decline in the achievements of professional athletes (A recent example is the modest result of the Ukrainian national team at the 2016 Olympic Games in London.) and sad statistics in the field of mass sports and the nation’s health. Only 13.5% of the population in Ukraine is involved in sports (for comparison: in the Scandinavian countries – 85%), our country ranks 99th in the world in terms of population health and 150th in terms of life expectancy.

Although we hear constant complaints about the lack of funding for the sports industry by the state, in reality, this is not the case. In general, the sports financial turnover of Ukraine is estimated at 7-8 billion UAH – a total of a decent figure. The problem is not in the amount of money, but in the archaic organization of work, when nothing moves and develops. Ukraine still retains the Soviet system, where all issues of physical culture and sports are managed by the state. But the Soviet Union created a sports system for its ideology and planned economy, and in a democracy and a market economy, this system does not work.

What do we need to change and add?

First of all, it is necessary to ensure the autonomy of sports, violated by the totalitarian Soviet system. The state is obliged to return the authority to manage national sports federations. It is a question of the organization, carrying out and regulation of rules of competitions; staffing and management of national teams; disciplinary liability; record keeping; training and certification of judges and coaches; standards of functioning of sports infrastructure for competitions and training work.

Sports clubs united by federations should become the central link, and the existing sports schools of all forms of ownership should receive this status.

It is necessary to work with leading universities in the United States and Europe to create training programs for all levels of sports leaders and conduct large-scale retraining.

I guess that our task is to build our country and make it comfortable to live in. Proper organization of sports according to modern standards will help the state to use sports as a unique institution for the recovery of the nation.