The Armenian government will allocate 20.4 million drams to develop a sports management information system, after approving the relevant decision at its meeting on Thursday.
Presenting the measure, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan said management reform in the sports sector cannot move forward without proper digitalization and the introduction of information systems. She said the change would help make sector policy evidence-based and driven by data.
Andreasyan noted that the government has been taking consistent steps to develop sports in line with Armenia’s 2024-2030 Strategy for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports. At the same time, she said, the sector still lacks a unified database or an operating management information system, leaving generated information partial, incomplete or outdated.
According to the minister, heavy reliance on paper-based documentation, lengthy procedures and excessive administration in data processing and exchange have weakened management efficiency, transparency and oversight. She stressed that an electronic management information system for the sports sector is urgently needed. The legislative amendments required to establish it have already been adopted, and the next step is to develop the program itself.
The new platform is expected to gradually become a unified registry for the sector. Its data will be used for statistical purposes, sector policy development, decision substantiation, financing processes, as well as monitoring and oversight.
Three main components
The first component will focus on the digitalization of sports schools. This is intended to provide accurate statistics on children and young people involved in sports and make it possible to track their progress.
Andreasyan said the system will be linked with the Education Management Information System, allowing officials to cross-check students’ data and attendance using information from the school system as well.
The second component will cover the digitalization of data related to elite sports and the activities of sports federations. The system will allow federations to submit funding applications electronically, streamline the financing process and improve accountability and transparency.
It is also expected to make athletes’ sporting pathways visible. The collected information will support decision-making, including in the application of the military service deferment system. Andreasyan said it would make it possible to clearly track how Armenia’s national teams are formed and what results they achieve at world and European championships and other competitions.
The third component will address mass participation sports. In this area, the authorities plan to collect information on physical activity indicators among the public, including gym attendance.
The proposal to introduce the sports management information system has already been discussed and approved at a meeting of the Information Systems Management Council.
