MOSCOW, October 17. /TASS/. The BRICS Games are as much about learning about different cultures as they are about sports, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko said on Tuesday.

The BRICS Games are an annual multi-sport event organized by member states of the BRICS economic group, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The event has been held since 2016. This year’s BRICS Games will be held in South Africa and next year’s edition will be hosted by Russia.

"The BRICS Games are not only about competitions in various disciplines, but also about strengthening ties between countries, educating about other countries’ cultures. I wish our athletes good luck and positive results," the Russian Sports Ministry quoted Chernyshenko as saying in a statement.

The 2023 BRICS Games are scheduled to be held in the South African city of Durban between October 18 and 21, bringing together some 450 athletes competing in six sports disciplines. Russia will be represented by a team of 34 athletes.

"Next year the [BRICS] Games will be held in Kazan and we are open not only to member states, but to everyone who believes in fair competition and keeping politics out of the sports landscape," Chernyshenko, who oversees issues of sports, culture and tourism in the Russian government, continued.

"Based on the instructions of [Russian] President Vladimir Putin, there will be some new kinds of competitions in Russia - the Friendship Games and the Games of the Future phygital tournament will be held in 2024 - such competitions have no room for politics, only the opportunity to prove oneself. We invite everyone to join this movement," Chernyshenko noted.

"BRICS member states are our promising and reliable allies in the sphere of sports and we are ready to provide every bit of support, to exchange ideas, participate in tournaments and share our expertise in holding sports events," he said.

"The 2024 BRICS Games will be held in Russia within the framework of Russia’s rotating chairmanship in the organization and they are planned to be open to everyone. We will be waiting with open arms in our hospitable city of Kazan for everyone who wishes to take part in fair competitions."

"On our behalf, we will ensure equal sports opportunities for all athletes," Chernyshenko stated. "We will continue to grow the BRICS Games, sharing our rich experience in holding competitions and putting together a world-class sporting event."

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.

Games of the Future

The inaugural cybersport Games of the Future in 2024 will consist of new disciplines using 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 on September 21-23, 2022, the second - from November 24 through December 10, 2022, the third - on February 5-11, and the fourth - on March 9-10. The 5th edition of the Phygital Games was hosted by Kazan on May 16-19.