The Volga Region Volga State Academy of the

The Volga Region Volga State Academy of the Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism The Volga Region State Academy of Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism was established by the Ministry of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy of the Russian Federation in July 2010 as part of the concept of heritage XXVII World Summer Student Games. The first set of students in the Volga State Academy of Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism was held in Kazan in 2011. There are 1702 students at the Academy. The Academy prepares specialists on areas of "Physical culture", "Adaptive physical education“, "Tourism", "Service", "Hotel service" and "Management". The main task of the Academy is to train highly qualified specialists, combining mastership and erudition.

The course of training at the Academy lasts four years. It comprises the functional capabilities of the athlete’s body for students of "physical culture" and "adaptive physical education" departments. Participating in sport is the foundation of an athlete’s future career. After graduating from the Academy the students can work as coaches, physical education teachers, gymnastics instructors in fitness and rehabilitation centers, sports managers, the organizers of mass physical culture and sports events, experts in the field of tourism and service.

The material-technical base of the Academy is one of the best in Russia. Since the beginning of 2012 -2013 academic year, Volga Region Academy will be located within the walls of teaching and laboratory building (the International Information Centre), which was built in preparation for the Universiade 2013. This is a very modern and technically complex building with an area of about 52 thousand square meters . Educational and training process includes sports facilities of the Academy - the Kazan Academy of Tennis, swimming pool, and the sports complex "Zilant. " In addition to these existing facilities, Volga Region Academy of Sport and Tourism will take the multi-functional stadium with artificial field and running track, gymnastics center and the Palace of Water Sports.

On the initiative of the Volga State Academy of Sports and Tourism last year, all 14 athletic higher schools in Russia have signed a memorandum of cooperation. The Academy had the agreement on cooperation with several foreign universities: two universities in the UK East London and Central Lancashire, University of the Serbian city of Novi Sad, with the Kazakh Academy of Sport and Tourism, University of Tartu and the University of Georgia (USA). In addition, the Volga Region Academy became a full member of the International Association of Universities of physical culture and sports. The Academy actively practiced lectures by foreign experts.

There are many outstanding athletes among the graduates of the Volga State Academy: Olympic champion Gulnara Galkina-Samitova, three -time champion of Russia, St Petersburg forward of "Zenit" Alexander Bukharov, master of sports of international class marathon, participant of Olympic Games in Atlanta Firaya Sultanova -Zhdanova, world-class athlete in swimming - European Champion, a participant of the Olympic Games in Athens, Alexander Zatsepin, winner of the Universiade in Shenzhen Gennady Muratov and many others.

Comprehension questions: 1. When was the Volga Region State Academy of Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism established? 2. What specialists does Academy prepare? 3. What is the main task of the Academy? 4. How long does the course of training at the Academy last? 5. What is the foundation of an athlete’s future career? 6. What can you say about the future professions of the students of the Academy?