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‘We are together. Sports’ paralympic tournament begins in central Russia

A total of 548 medal sets are up for grabs

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, June 21. /TASS/. A ceremony to unveil the "We Are Together. Sports" second summer paralympic multi-sport tournament was held in the central Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod on Tuesday.

Competitions will be held in 14 cities across Russia, with around 4,500 contestants taking part, the head of the Russian Paralympic Committee, Pavel Rozhkov, has told reporters.

"We are holding competitions in 22 disciplines that comprise the program of the Summer Paralympic Games. All Russian regions are taking part, with around 4,500 people expected to participate. Finals will be held in 14 Russian cities. Among those participating in the games are the planet’s most prominent para athletes from our country, including Paralympic champions, as well as world and European champions," Rozhkov said.

A total of 548 medal sets are up for grabs.

Competitions will be held in Russia’s capital Moscow and the surrounding Moscow Region, as well as in the second largest city of St. Petersburg. Venues will also be located in the regions of Nizhny Novgorod, Krasnodar, Kurgan, Saratov, Tula, Dagestan, Mordovia, Tatarstan and Chuvashia.

The multi-sports events in this format were organized on instructions from Russian President Vladimir Putin after Russian athletes were barred from competition during the Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing. The first "We Are Together. Sports" winter games were held in the Siberian city of Khanty-Mansiisk in March 2022. The summer edition of the tournament was held in October 2022 in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.

"We hope that [such events] will become a tradition for our country," Rozhkov added.

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