MOSCOW, August 4. /TASS/. The 2nd edition of the 2023 CIS Games in Belarus this month will serve as a most important scene for the popularization of sports demonstrating the unity and friendship of all participating countries, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko said in a statement on Friday.

"In modern conditions, the CIS Games can be considered as the most important stage of popularizing physical education and sports movement, and involving the younger generation in doing sports," Chernyshenko said in his statement dedicated to the opening of the international sports tournament in Belarus earlier in the day.

"The competitions demonstrate unity and strong friendship between our countries," BelTA news agency quoted Chernyshenko as saying, who added that "more than 400 Russian athletes, including both leaders of their national teams and talented young athletes, are to take part in the 2nd CIS Games."

Russian athletes are competing not only against their rivals from the CIS countries, but also against athletes from such countries as Iran, Egypt, Malaysia, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Cuba.

"I wish all athletes a fair competition and great victories, and also positive impressions to fans," Russia’s deputy prime minister said.

Belarus is set to host the 2023 CIS (the Commonwealth of Independent States) Games on August 4-14 in 11 cities across the country. The official opening and closing ceremonies of the 2nd edition of the CIS Games are slated for August 5 and 13 respectively. The previous edition of this event was hosted by the Russian city of Kazan in 2021.

Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin, who is expected to be present at the opening ceremony of the 2nd CIS Games said: "The 1st CIS Games held in Russia were a huge success."

"We have introduced a new interesting format of competitions, including Olympic, non-Olympic and national sports, and the wide interest of many countries made it possible for the 2nd CIS Games to become open to all," Matytsin said. "I have no doubt that our Belarusian colleagues will be a great host of the Games."

"Our task is to give all athletes equal opportunities to compete, which in turn helps increase the interest in competitions," Russian Sports Minister Matytsin stated. "It is with great pleasure that we pass the Games baton to our Belarusian counterparts and look forward to this great sports festival."

Spokesman for the Belarusian Foreign Ministry Anatoly Glaz announced in late June that Belarus decided to introduce a visa-free regime for all sports fans coming from abroad and wishing to watch competitions of the 2023 CIS Games in August.

"We will organize a holiday that is not overshadowed by visa restrictions or any other limitations," he said. "We are waiting for all of our guests to come and it it once again speaks for our hospitality."

On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.

Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.

At its session on January 25, 2023, the IOC Executive Board put forward a proposal to permit individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international sports tournaments, but only under certain conditions. Specifically, athletes from the two countries should not be "actively supporting" Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and must compete under a neutral status.