ST. PETERSBURG, June 6. /TASS/. As of today, 93 countries have already confirmed their participation in the 2024 BRICS Games, which are scheduled to kick off in Russia’s Kazan next week, Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev said on Thursday.

"Ninety-three countries have confirmed their participation and over 1,000 athletes will arrive in Kazan," Degtyarev said speaking at the ‘BRICS - New Opportunities for Multipolar Sports Development’ session, held at the 2024 Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"Kazan is the sports capital of Russia and we confirm this both in terms of our contribution to the development of physical culture and sports and in terms of the organized events," he continued.

"Our objective is to ensure that all countries have the opportunity to compete without discrimination and politicization as well as to create equal conditions for everyone and follow the traditions of sports," he added.

The 2024 BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Games will be held in Kazan on June 12-23 and will feature events in 20 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.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is held on June 5-8. This year’s theme is "The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World."

Scheduled events include meetings for small and medium-sized businesses, creative industries, the SPIEF Youth Day, as well as the Drug Security, SPIEF Academy and SPIEF Junior forums. SPIEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is the information partner of the event.