№ 2233-2234. DOSAAF of Russia. Kinds of Sports

 

The Military and Scientific Society, the first Soviet volunteer defense organization, was founded in 1920. It took part in solving military and research problems, and promoted military knowledge among workers. The Society was renamed into the Society of Assistance to Defense (Общество содействия обороне) on July 27, 1926, and into a mass volunteer Society of Friends of the Air Force (Общество друзей Воздушного флота) in March 1923. Later, another mass defense organization, the Society of Friends of Chemical Defense and Industry (Общество друзей химической обороны и химической промышленности), emerged. They were united into a single organization called AVIAKhIM in May 1925. In 1927, OSOAVIAKhIM (ОСОАВИАХИМ, Союз обществ содействия обороне и авиационно-химическому строительству СССР, the Union of Societies of Assistance to Defense and Aviation-Chemical Construction of the USSR) was created. 

In 1948, OSOAVIAKhIM was reorganized into three independent societies: DOSARM (ДОСАРМ, Добровольное общество содействия армии, the Voluntary Society of Assistance to the Army), DOSAV (ДОСАВ, Добровольное общество содействия авиации, the Voluntary Society of Assistance to the Air Force) and DOSFLOT (ДОСФЛОТ, Добровольное общество содействия флоту, the Voluntary Society of Assistance to the Navy). They were re-merged as a single society, DOSAAF USSR, in 1951. The Russian Defense Sports and Technical Organization (Российская оборонная спортивно-техническая организация, РОСТО — ROSTO) was established in 1991. As per the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, it was a legal successor of DOSAAF USSR. ROSTO was transformed into DOSAAF of Russia as per the RF Government Regulation No 973 of November 28, 2009.

DOSAAF focuses on such military and applied sports as plane, helicopter, parachute, model, motor-boating, automobile racing, motorcycling, subaquatics, radiosport, as well as rifle and pistol shooting as part of training Russian citizens military basics.