MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. Russia expects athletes from member states of the Commonwealth Independent States (CIS) to actively participate in the Games of the Future and the BRICS Games next year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.
"[The Russian city of] Kazan is set to host next February's innovative Games of the Future, which combine traditional sports and cybersports, and later in June, the [2024] BRICS Games," Putin said in his video address to heads of the CIS member countries.
"We expect athletes representing the CIS member states to take a most active part in these competitions," the Russian president added.
2024 Games of the Future
The inaugural cybersport Games of the Future will be hosted by the Russian city of Kazan between February 21 and March 3, 2024. They will consist of new disciplines combining advanced technology, the digital environment and physical activity.
The competitions are designed to use cutting-edge developments in cybersports, robotics, both augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR), information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI). The tournament offers $25 million in prize money.
As part of the preparations for the Games of the Future, Russia has organized a series of Phygital Games. The first Phygital Games were held in September 2022 and they were followed by numerous editions until today with the most recent one held in Kazan between October 5 and 22.
2024 BRICS Games
The 2024 BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Games will be hosted by the Russian city of Kazan between June 12 and 23 and will feature events in 25 different sports.
In mid-May, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the government to submit proposals for organizing and holding the 2024 BRICS Games in Russia.
Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin emphasized earlier that the BRICS Games are not meant to rival any other competitions and will not interfere with the international sports calendar.