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First phygital center opened in Arkhangelsk

The center will develop esports, laser tag, drone racing, martial arts, sports programming, as well as basketball and football duathlon

ARKHANGELSK, February 5. /TASS/. The first regional phygital center opened in Arkhangelsk, press service of the Northern Arctic Federal University said. Phygital sports combine traditional and digital competitions.

"Master's students in Phygital Sports Management and the university's teachers have participated in the opening of the phygital center at secondary school No. 7 named after V. N. Bulatov. The center will develop esports, laser tag, drone racing, martial arts, sports programming, as well as basketball and football duathlon," the press service said.

The Master's program trains specialists to lead the development and implementation of projects in phygital sports, with information competencies. Graduates will be able to work at secondary, vocational and additional-education institutions. The Phygital Sports Management program at the university is the only one in Russia.

"We are in a trend, and teacher education in this area is unique. The program includes numerous events in the city and beyond it. The first Games of the Future took place in 2024, and the university took part in them. The university has hosted a phygital sports festival. The international Russian-Belarusian online school offers master classes where teachers of additional education get skills in phygital disciplines," the press service quoted the program's leader, Head of the Department of Physical Education Irina Korelskaya as saying. The university opened the Master's program to train specialists in the phygital direction in 2024, and these days 13 people are studying there.

At the center's opening, the Arkhangelsk Region's Deputy Chairman of the Government Ivan Dementiev stressed the center was the first in the region. "This school was opened only a few years ago, and by now they have launched a drone project, an IT park, a modern football field, and the first phygital center," he said.

The opening ceremony featured Nikita Nagorny, President of the All-Russian Federation of Phygital Sports, Olympic Champion of Tokyo 2020 Games in gymnastics, multiple world and European champion. "We see it as very important that today a program to develop phygital sports infrastructures is being implemented throughout the country. This is not only a socially significant mission for us, it also means the harmonious development of the younger generation," he said at the ceremony.

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