MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. Russian sports is looking toward the future with confidence, despite the ongoing unprecedented politicization of the international sports movement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

"Despite the unprecedented politicization of the international sports movement, Russian sports is looking confidently toward the future," Russia’s top diplomat said at the opening ceremony of the Second Congress of the International Russophile Movement.

Lavrov also said that Kazan, capital of Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan, is currently hosting a very interesting innovative sports tournament, the 2024 Games of the Future.

The inaugural cybersport Games of the Future are taking place in Kazan between February 21 and March 3, 2024. The Games feature entirely new sports disciplines combining advanced technology, the digital environment and physical activity.

The competitions incorporate cutting-edge developments in cybersports, robotics, both augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR), information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI). The tournament offers $10 mln in prize money.

According to the organizers of the 2024 Games of the Future, some 2,000 athletes from over 100 countries are competing in 21 innovative sports disciplines.

"This year Russia has other scheduled large-scale sporting events, including the BRICS Games and the World Friendship Games," Lavrov added.

2024 BRICS Games

The 2024 BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Games will also be hosted by Kazan on June 12-23 and will feature events in 25 different sports.

In mid-May 2023, 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.

2024 World Friendship Games

Moscow and Yekaterinburg in Russia’s Urals region are slated to co-host the 2024 World Friendship Games on September 15-29.

In December 2023, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) cautioned National Olympic Committees (NOCs) against participating in the World Friendship Games in Russia next year, as this would violate the global Olympic body’s recommendations.