Development trends of underwater sports in the Sverdlovsk region compared to basic non-olympic sports

The development of sports in regions is subject to the main directions of sport development, defined in the Development Programs of All-Russian sports federations for relevant sports. Among the priorities for the development of underwater sports in Russia is an increase in the number of regions where underwater sports are included in the List of basic sports. The purpose of the study is to examine the potential of underwater sports based on the criteria for inclusion in the List of basic sports and to determine the directions for the development of underwater sports in the Sverdlovsk Region for the possibility of inclusion in the List of basic sports. For the analysis, statistical reports 1-FK and 5-FK for the period from 2020 to 2023 were used. The analysis of statistical data revealed a high potential of underwater sports according to all the criteria established for including a sport in the List of basic sports: the presence of organizations and the dynamics of the number of people involved and undergoing sports training; the availability of coaching staff; holding official sports competitions of international, all-Russian, interregional, and regional levels; the presence of candidates for the sports teams of the region and the national sports team of the Russian Federation; the presence of victories and prizes in international and all-Russian youth competitions; the sports qualifications of those undergoing sports training; the presence of an accredited regional sports federation for the sport. Given the accumulated potential, underwater sports have the prerequisites for their inclusion in the List of basic sports of the Sverdlovsk Region.