The article considers the relevance of the introduction of the complex “Ready for Labour and Defence” (abbreviated as GTO in the Russian Federation, analyses how it encourages young people to practice sports. A comparative characteristic of the GTO standards that were in force in the USSR and of those that are in use in modern Russia is carried out. The correlation between the results of passing the standards for physical training and the GTO complex by cadets of education organizations of higher learning of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation is revealed. The importance and significance of the introduction of the above-mentioned complex is proved. A comparison of the attitude of cadets of higher educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and students of technical universities was made, which led to the conclusion that it is necessary to increase interest in passing the GTO complex not only among athletes and cadets of law enforcement institutions, but also among the youth of the country as a whole. Based on the results of a survey of one hundred and fifty people aged from 17 to 23 years, a study was conducted to reveal the affect of passing the GTO standards on young people’s desire to practice sports. The results of the survey presented in the diagram allow us to draw a conclusion that the «GTO» complex encourages young people to sport. The survey also revealed a number of current problems related to the inability to train and pass certain types of additional standards, as well as ways to solve them. The study was conducted to examine the opinion of young people about the GTO complex, as well as to determine the relevance and need to popularize this complex among the younger generation. The importance of keeping a healthy lifestyle and maintaining good physical shape through sports training is highlighted.