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Children of Asia International Sports Games to kick off in Russia’s Far East

More than 3,000 athletes will compete for 239 sets of medals in 24 sports

YAKUTSK, June 26. /TASS/. The 8th Children of Asia International Sports Games are set to kick off in Yakutsk, the capital of Russia’s Far Eastern Sakha Region, on June 26.

The opening ceremony will be held at the Tuymaada stadium on Wednesday evening. Yakutsk will host the final phase of the torch relay of the games earlier in the day. The flame of the games will be brought to the stadium where a three-hour show is expected to take place, which will feature a parade of athletes, singing and dancing numbers, as well as performances by prominent artists.

Athletes from Russia and 24 other countries will take part in the 8th Children of Asia International Sports Games, which are scheduled to last until July 7. More than 3,000 athletes will compete for 239 sets of medals in 24 sports.

According to Sakha Region’s head Aisen Nikolayev, over 30 athletes who earlier participated in the Children of Asia tournament have now become Olympic, world, Asian and European champions. Regional Sports Minister Leonid Spiridonov noted that a number of sports facilities had been refurbished for the games and much had been done to beautify the city.

Mikhail Nikolayev, the first head of the Sakha Region, initiated the Children of Asia International Games in 1996. Over the years, more than 15,000 young athletes from over 40 Asian and European countries have participated in the event.

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