Volga Region University's research activities kicked off the new academic year with the IV All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference with International Participation, "Smart Sport & Tourism: Digital Transformation in Physical Education, Sports, and Tourism." The event was held as part of the "Kazan Digital Week 2025" forum and was organized jointly with the Uzbek State University of Physical Education and Sports.
This year, leading faculty and researchers from 12 regions of Russia, as well as neighboring countries such as Azerbaijan, Belarus, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, participated in the conference. They submitted over 70 research papers.
During the plenary session and scientific sections, participants addressed the implementation of artificial intelligence in athlete training and sports facility management, the use of VR solutions in rehabilitation and education, and the development of digital platforms for promoting domestic and inbound tourism. They also discussed inclusion, accessibility, and sustainable development as key criteria for evaluating modern digital initiatives.
Also this year, as part of the conference, Volga Region University, in collaboration with the National Center for Sports Medicine of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia, organized a roundtable discussion on "Current Issues in the Development of Phygital Sports."
"The implementation of cutting-edge sports analytics technologies, virtual reality, and the training of phygital athletes are becoming fundamental elements of the future of sport. These areas not only open up new horizons for improving performance but also make sport more accessible and engaging. We must remember this and actively develop these innovations in our practice," emphasized Vice-Rector for Research and International Affairs Andriy Nazarenko, opening the conference.
He noted that the Phygital Center, a multi-sport facility, the Phygital Sports Development Center, and a research laboratory at Volga Region University are studying these issues.
At the plenary session, Tatarstan's sports university was represented by Olga Vishnyakova and Andrey Brovkin. A professor in the Department of Economics and Management in Sports spoke about the university's methodology for compiling a classification directory of sports facilities. A senior researcher at the Research Institute and associate professor in the G.V. Tsyganov Department of Track and Field and Rowing Sports raised the topic of automating biomechanical analysis in rowing using computer vision methods, using a website being developed by the university as an example. Andrey Brovkin emphasized that the main goal of the project is to help athletes and coaches by making biomechanical analysis more accessible.
Both Volga Region University faculty and students spoke at the breakout sessions. They discussed the impact of the private sector of physical education and sports on the socioeconomic development of Russia's regions, the role of the digital environment in foreign language learning, and the implementation of artificial intelligence and statistical analysis technologies in the sports industry.
Text: Adelina Khramova
Photo: Alina Gilmullina
