Assessment of the competitiveness of the Ulyanovsk region in the context of the sports component of regional policy

Assessing the region's competitiveness is one of the key characteristics of its integrated development. In this regard, this work is devoted to the study of the competitiveness of the Ulyanovsk region in the context of physical education and sports component of regional policy. To conduct an analysis in the selected area using the method of assessing regional competitiveness, the authors identified some key, in their opinion, indicators in accordance with the selected area of research. The article reveals the issue of prospects for further development and attractiveness of the Ulyanovsk region for investors. Based on the data of the Report of the Ministry of physical education and sports of the Ulyanovsk region for 2018, the dynamics of selected indicators from 2008 to 2018 was considered for such positions as the dynamics of the number of official competitions held in the territory of the Ulyanovsk region; the dynamics of the number of Ulyanovsk athletes who joined the national teams of the Russian Federation; dynamics of official sports competitions in which Ulyanovsk athletes took part; dynamics of the number of employees of the sports sphere in the territory of the Ulyanovsk region; dynamics of the amount of financial resources spent on the formation and development of the sports infrastructure. Based on the results of the study of these indicators, the authors draw conclusions and give a generalized assessment of the region within the framework of development prospects and attractiveness for investors. In addition, the paper studies the efficiency of the Ulyanovsk region as an international sports ground, which is facilitated by the presence of modern sports facilities and a high level of training of qualified personnel in the sports industry. The article also indicates the positive and negative aspects of the current regional policy in the context of physical education and sports component. The authors present possible directions for improving the competitiveness of the Ulyanovsk region in the sports field, and also establish whether the direction of physical education and sports can act as a significant competitive advantage for the studied region and whether it is promising for development and investment activity.