Presidential Decree "On the All-Russian Physical Culture and Sports Complex 'Ready for Labor and Defense.'"
Background
The Presidential Decree “On the All-Russian Physical Culture and Sports Complex ‘Ready for Labor and Defense’” establishes the legal framework for the GTO system, a nationwide physical fitness and sports standards program in Russia. It applies to a broad public audience, including schoolchildren, students, working-age adults, and other participants who choose to take part in the program’s testing and award system. In practical terms, the decree gives state-backed significance to meeting prescribed physical standards and links performance in the complex to organizational, educational, and social measures.
The decree was issued by the President of Russia as part of the federal policy agenda on physical culture and mass sports. It came in the context of efforts to revive and modernize the Soviet-era GTO concept as a tool for encouraging regular exercise, improving population health, and promoting participation in sport. The policy was designed to address low levels of physical activity and to create a standardized nationwide system for assessing fitness across different age groups.
Its practical impact was to formalize the GTO complex as an official state program rather than a purely voluntary sports initiative. The decree set the basis for introducing age-specific standards, testing procedures, and incentives for successful participants, which later made the program a platform for benefits and administrative recognition. Over time, it became a reference point for new policy measures, including proposals to expand the program’s scope to emerging activities and to use GTO performance as a basis for material or educational advantages.
Timeline
The decree had served as the legal basis for expanding the GTO program to include drone racing by 2027–2028.
Drone Pilots Who Pass GTO Standards to Receive BenefitsIt had enabled the government to plan pilot testing of the new GTO discipline in four regions.
Drone Pilots Who Pass GTO Standards to Receive BenefitsIt had been linked to proposed benefits for GTO badge holders, including tax deductions and extra university admission points.
Drone Pilots Who Pass GTO Standards to Receive Benefits
Documents
Drone Pilots Who Pass GTO Standards to Receive Benefits
Russia plans to add drone racing to the GTO national fitness program by 2027–2028, following a Putin directive, with pilot testing in four regions and benefits including tax deductions and university admission points for badge holders.