OREANDA-NEWS. January 27, 2012. Physical culture and sports is an integral part of our life, their development may have no borders. With these words Head of Karelia Andrei Nelidov has started the meeting with President and Vice-President of the Motorcycle Federation of Russia Alexander Lunkin and Evgeny Parshin. Among participants of the meeting held on January, 24 there were Minister of Youth Affairs, Physical Training, Sports and Tourism of the republic Alexander Voronov and Chairman of the Motorcycle Federation of Karelia Valery Petrov.

The key issue of the conversation was development of technical kinds of sports in the region. Besides, the agreement on cooperation between the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Physical Training, Sports and Tourism of the republic and the Motorcycle Federation of Russia on development of motorcycle sports was signed in the presence of the Head of Karelia.

As Andrei Nelidov has mentioned, high value is put in Karelia on development of technical sports, such as karting, autorally, cross-country motorcycle racing, and development of sports as a whole.

According to the head of the region, last year the agreement has been reached with Gazprom Inc. about construction of 18 universal sports grounds – one in each region of Karelia. On these sports grounds it will be possible to play football or basketball in summer, and hockey in winter. In the coming years it is planned to build three health and fitness complexes.

Besides, Karelia is a venue for many sports competitions. The other day the settlement of Pryazha welcomed the international sled dog race On the Land of Sampo and the sled dog race championship of Russia, which guests of honour were famous Russian travellers Feodor Konyukhov and Victor Boyarsky.

Within the past one and a half years technical kinds of sports in Karelia have also entered a new stage in development.

– Karelia has a propensity for technical kinds of sports, there is a great interest in it on the part of the people and youth, – Andrei Nelidov has pointed out.

In Sortavala region there has been built a cross-country motorcycle race track which fits the All-Russian requirements. There have been held two laps of the Head of Karelia cross-country motorcycle race championship of the republic.

Andrei Nelidov has told that he had a special interest in motor racing, as in his young years he preferred this kind of sports.

Autorally is also quite popular in the republic: racers from all over the country and from abroad come to compete on complex tracks of Karelia. Karting is onwards and upwards, and it has already got its champions.

Karelia's special pride is a young Petrozavodsk racer Irina Sidorkova who has become a the second best in the Estonia open karting championship in the age group of 6-8 years.

Success of Karelian athlete was so impressing, that a delegation of heads of karting federations of the Baltic countries came to our republic to take a look at Irina's training place and conditions. And then an important decision was made to start a thorough reconstruction of Petrozavodsk go-cart track.

– We will not leave this remarkable young athlete without a good go-cart track. Besides, we realise that in Karelia there are many others people willing to go in for this kind of sports, – Head of the republic said.

This spring or summer its is planned to hold the international karting competition in Petrozavodsk on Kirov square.

Representatives of the Motorcycle Federation of Russia have rated high the republic's efforts to develop technical kinds of sports. Besides, possible prospects and projects in this sphere were discussed at the meeting, and as Alexander Lunkin has emphasized, these projects have meet with support of Head of the republic.

The meeting concluded with signing of the agreement on cooperation between the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Physical Training, Sports and Tourism of Karelia and the Motorcycle Federation of Russia concerning development of motorcycle kinds of sports.

Making comments on results of the meeting, President of the Motorcycle Federation of Russia has pointed out:

– First of all, it was very good to take opinion of Head of the republic. It has proved to be a person very close to motorcycle sport, knows its peculiarities, understands the sportsmen, and understands organizers of sports competitions perfectly.

Alexander Lunkin has also emphasized that the republic has a great potential for development of sports and tourism: its nature, exciting tracks, historical monuments.

In the opinion of President of the Motorcycle Federation of Russia, tourists and sports fans from regions of Russia and Europe will be happy to come here. The more so that new infrastructural objects meeting European standards are built in the republic, and new sports competitions are held.

– We like it very much and we will be happy to take part in all of your projects, – Alexander Lunkin promised.