Conceived in 1922 by Vladimir Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union, CSKA was established in 1923 by Josef Stalin, then leader of the Soviet Union, as part of the Ministry of Defense. CSKA is the Army Central Sports Club. It is based in Moscow. CSKA provides training in all Olympic sports. The historic CSKA Sports Club (known as Great CSKA) is still affiliated with the Russian Ministry of Defense. Past Presidents of Russia have also served as honorary presidents of Great CSKA. President Vladimir Putin is the current honorary president of Great CSKA.
CSKA, in its 101-year history, has produced numerous Olympic and World Champions. It enjoys a privileged reputation as the sports club with the most Olympic medals, having sent athletes to the Olympics. Currently, it has 32 training centers across Russia, where tens of thousands of children and young people are being trained to become future champions.