Talking to RIA Novosti, organizing-committee officials noted that over 300 well-known academics, outstanding athletes, legendary world-sports veterans, sports businessmen, prominent public figures and politicians from 30 countries had been invited to attend.
The list of honorary guests includes Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee, Ralf-Rene Weingaertner, Director of the Directorate General IV on Education, Culture and Heritage, Youth and Sports of the Council of Europe, Dr. Alain Garnier, Medical Director of the World Anti-Doping Agency, State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov and Leonid Tyagachev, President of the Russian Olympic Committee.
"Congress delegates will note man's declining physical, moral and spiritual health. In essence, the international scientific public is talking about a human-health crisis in the early 21st century and looking for ways of overcoming this crisis," congress organizers said.
The congressional program calls for discussing a number of issues, such as socio-cultural, economic and legal aspects of sports development, modern ways of staying healthy, adaptive physical training, social problems of sports veterans, organizing a healthy way of life for handicapped persons, physical training in the system of military-professional training and in the context of anti-terrorist operations, the mission of state and non-governmental organizations in tapping the health potential of sports, fighting doping and forming a healthy way of life.
"This year's congress will coincide with the 60th VE-Day anniversary. Consequently, official events involving Russian champions and sports veterans will take place," organizing-committee people added.
The congress is to last until April 23.
