Russian National Health and Fitness Programme

The Russian National Health and Fitness Programme, or GTO complex, is a major systematised and regulatory foundation of the country’s physical education policy aimed at promoting grassroots sports, improving the nation’s health and wellbeing and developing human capital. The complex was introduced on September 1, 2014 by the Presidential Executive Order No 172 dated March 24, 2014.

The GTO activities were first coordinated by the Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation and the GTO Complex Introduction and Implementation Coordination Commission established under the Ministry.

By the decision of the Coordination Commission of July 27, 2014, in view of its vast experience of staging a whole range of successful high-profile sporting events the Directorate for Sports and Social Projects was entrusted to carry out the nation’s major grassroots sports development project and was appointed as the organisation responsible for implementing the GTO complex at the federal level. Its mission includes the following activities:

1. Coordination of the GTO complex implementation in regions of Russia.
2. Creation of the single database and the official GTO complex website and their technical assistance.
3. Development, creation and implementation of personnel training system, including remote training.
4. Wareness-raising activities aimed at promoting the GTO complex.
5. Methodological support of the GTO complex implementation.
6. Production of GTO pins and certificates and provision of them to regions of the Russian Federation.

From 2014 to 2024, a stepwise model for the project introduction was established in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation:

• 2014 – 12 “pilot” regions, “schoolchildren” contingent.
• 2015 – 61 regions, “schoolchildren” contingent.
• 2016 – 85 regions (for schoolchildren) and 41 “pilot” regions for adults.
• 2017 – nationwide introduction for all population categories.

To coordinate and ensure a unified approach to organising events under the GTO complex, 150 regulatory legal acts and over 20 methodological guidelines were elaborated and introduced for the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and GTO testing centres.

Between 2014 and 2024, 25 million Russians aged 6 and older were involved in the GTO complex, accounting for 18% of the population in this age group.

Reference information:

• 25.0 million people – registered for the GTO programme.
• 15.5 million people – began completing the GTO standards.
• 13.0 million people – passed the tests and got the GTO pins.

Key tasks performed by the ANO “DSSP”:

1. Coordinating the work with the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
2. Providing methodological and regulatory support.
3. Protecting GTO trademarks and implementing the GTO marketing programme.
4. Planning, producing, and supplying the GTO pins to testing centres.
5. Maintaining the All-Russian GTO database, including citizens’ personal data protection.
6. Organising All-Russian GTO festivals.
7. Monitoring and evaluating the quality and effectiveness of Testing Centres and constituent entities of the Russian Federation (GTO rankings).

 The GTO complex consisted of standards for the physical development and preparedness of people in 11 age groups (6-70 years of age and older). The standards were different for men and women.

Tests were divided into obligatory and optional ones. The obligatory tests were intended to check strength, speed, flexibility and endurance. The optional ones helped to determine speed and strength capabilities, sense of coordination and applied skills.

Participants, who met the standards and have attained knowledge and skills of certain levels of the complex, were awarded a corresponding GTO pin. Depending on their achievements, they got a gold, silver or bronze pin.

By the order of the Russian Ministry of Sport dated December 9, 2024 No 1202 the authority of the Federal GTO operator was terminated from January 1, 2025.