NEW DELHI, December 6. /TASS/. Potential Olympics hopeful for the Indian judo team Ishaan Kanojia has returned to Russia to participate in training camps in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg and in Moscow Region’s Khimki, a spokesman for the Russian Consulate General’s Office in Chennai told to TASS on Wednesday.

"The Russian Consulate General’s Office in Chennai, in coordination with the Russian Judo Federation [RJF] and martial arts club Vityaz in Elektrostal, arranged for candidate for the Indian Olympic team Ishaan Kanojia to participate in training camps at the sports club ‘Rodina’ in Yekaterinburg and the Olympic reserve sports school for martial arts in Khimki," the spokesman said.

According to him, the current trip of the Indian judoka to Russia has been arranged with the objective of strengthening ties within the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) platform.

"We prioritize the development of relations through international associations, including in terms of preparations for the 2024 BRICS Games in Kazan," Russian Consulate General in Chennai Oleg Avdeyev told TASS.

Kanojia himself said that he was "granted a unique opportunity to train with Russia’s leading judokas under the supervision of highly professional Russian coaches."

The Indian athlete already trained with Russia’s leading judokas in November of last year at training camps in the Russian cities of Elektrostal, Kirzhach and Dmitrov. He also participated in one of the stages of the Russian Judo Tour in Chelyabinsk held in coordination with the Russian Judo Federation.

The sport of judo is popular in Russia and President Vladimir Putin practices it as well. The 71-year-old Russian president, known for his avid support of sports in Russia, holds a black belt in judo and he regularly practices the martial art.

In 2012, the International Judo Federation granted Putin an eighth Dan for his work to promote this sport. In his youth Putin was judo champion of his hometown of Leningrad, now called St. Petersburg. In 2008, he starred in the judo video "Let’s Learn Judo With Vladimir Putin."

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.