The international tournament “Games of the Future” is completely free from political conditions, discrimination and double standards. Vladimir Putin emphasized this at the opening ceremony of the competition on February 21. These competitions, he said, will become a unique part of the history of world sports: over 2 thousand people from more than 100 countries will take part in them. The start of such innovative games was also supported by the leaders of other countries – Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, who came to Kazan for the opening of the tournament. Before the ceremony began, the President of the Russian Federation managed to talk with each of them. Why Russia remains one of the leading sports powers in the world and in which country the next “Games of the Future” can be held – in the material of Izvestia.
“Games of the Future” started in Kazan
The “Games of the Future” started in the capital of Tatarstan on February 21. There is a reason why they are attracting close attention – these are the first innovative competitions in hybrid disciplines in history. They combine classic and eSports; this innovation even got its name – “phygital”, from the English physical and digital. This format has never been seen anywhere before: first, teams compete, for example, on a football or basketball simulator, and then go onto a real field and continue this match. The same is true in other areas, of which, by the way, there are 21 – for example, in hockey, racing and even BMX cycling. At martial arts competitions, for example, the first stage takes place in Mortal Kombat, and only then the wrestlers themselves enter the octagon.
“There is no doubt that the competition of the best of the best will become an extremely exciting event and will win the hearts of the audience, revealing new bright stars to us.” The international tournament in the phygital concept is a unique story for the modern chronicle of world sports. And this story begins right here, now, in Russia,” Vladimir Putin said at the opening ceremony of the “Future Games”.
The international status of the event is also evidenced by the fact that the leaders of Belarus, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan decided to join the Russian president at the opening.
By the way, participants from these countries are actively preparing for the Games. In total, over 2 thousand athletes, who are called “athletes” here, are going to take part in the competitions. They came from more than 100 countries of the world, and special attention was paid to each: the image of the participating country at the ceremony was represented by girls in dresses the color of the national flag, who paraded past the audience. It is noteworthy that among them there were also participants from the USA, France, and Germany.
The opening ceremony audience was treated to a breathtaking show. Each of the directions on the stage was played with the same “phygital” idea: while colorful images were shown on interactive screens, mobile platforms operated on the podium, on which the artists danced and did tricks. Then a makeshift football ground appeared, which turned into a racing track. This spectacle impressed the presidents: the leaders of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov and Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev were especially lively in discussing the decorations and designs with each other.
As the organizers told Izvestia, this performance was worked out in detail to show the fusion of man and technology. However, the Russian leader seems to be fascinated by the battle of sports gladiators – robots. They appeared on stage in a small ring and fired volleys of fire from time to time.
— Both Kazan and Russia as a country have extensive experience in carrying out such projects. “We, despite any sanctions and restrictions on the country from individual international federations, continue to strengthen our system, and the physical movement is one of the important elements of this system,” Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin told Izvestia.
How does the tournament in Russia differ from other competitions?
Initially, the idea to combine classical and e-sports was born in Russia, Vladimir Putin recalled, since the Russian Federation is the land of great scientists, designers, engineers, whose achievements revealed new horizons of knowledge to humanity. Russia has been and remains one of the leading sports powers in the world, as well as the birthplace of great victories, records and athletes, Vladimir Putin said.
“Today our research teams and companies are reaching the top in digital technologies and the use of artificial intelligence, in areas that are at the forefront of progress. And, of course, from time immemorial, Russia has been famous for its generosity and hospitality, it is always ready to warmly welcome friends and organize a big colorful holiday for them, including a sports holiday,” said the head of state.
Physical sports, according to the Russian leader, will eventually become a favorite leisure activity in Russia. In addition, the international tournament “Games of the Future” is completely free from political conditions, discrimination and double standards, said the President of the Russian Federation. Obviously, he was hinting at the mass exclusion of Russian athletes from international competitions. It is noteworthy that at the opening of the Games, figure skater Kamila Valieva, who was disqualified for four years for violating anti-doping rules, sat next to him.
— We have always advocated the promotion of sports and its high humanistic values. The games of the future are our gift to the global sports family,” the Russian leader emphasized.
After the speech of the President of the Russian Federation, other leaders spoke briefly, each in their own language – Belarusian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Tajik. They all wished good luck to the athletes, but some did not stop there. The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev hastened to declare his desire to host the tournament, and the leader of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon called Vladimir Putin a friend and brother of the republic.
Putin's bilateral meetings
As for the bilateral meetings that Vladimir Putin held that day, they took place in a friendly atmosphere. And this is not surprising, since the leaders of the republics with whom Russia is developing close relations arrived in Kazan.
For example, Moscow remains one of the main trade and economic partners of Bishkek: 35% of direct investments came into the Kyrgyz economy from the Russian Federation. Economic ties with Uzbekistan are also intensively developing. And in relations between Russia and Tajikistan there is generally no problem that cannot be resolved, “including thanks to our personal relations,” Putin noted.
— We are grateful that an agreement was reached on the construction of thermal power plants in three cities of Kazakhstan, on the construction of two state district power plants. That is, the result is obvious,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at a personal meeting.
All presidents supported the idea of such competitions and congratulated Vladimir Putin on the opening. The leader of Uzbekistan was not the only one who wanted to host the games in his country. The President of Kazakhstan personally addressed Vladimir Putin with the same proposal.
The leaders also spoke with Vladimir Putin about the upcoming election campaign. President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon wished him good health, “nerves of steel,” and success in all his endeavors. And Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Shavkat Mirziyoyev expressed confidence in Vladimir Putin’s victory. According to the head of Kazakhstan, Russia under his leadership is achieving significant success, and Shavkat Mirziyoyev is already waiting for Vladimir Putin to visit after the elections.
On this day, Vladimir Putin held a separate meeting with the President of Republika Srpska (an entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina) Milorad Dodik.
Representatives of Western countries are persistently trying to persuade the Republika Srpska to impose sanctions against Russia. However, the state system of BiH allows Banja Luka, in fact, to block any movements towards the North Atlantic Alliance and deprives Sarajevo of the opportunity to take unfriendly steps towards the Russian Federation.
The new missile carrier will be named after Shaimiev
Vladimir Putin devoted part of his working day to the regional agenda. He visited the aviation plant named after. S.P. Gorbunova. There, the head of state inspected four deeply modernized Tu-160M strategic missile carriers.
The aircraft have new combat capabilities, high efficiency, and completely updated equipment inside. When increasing the production speed in the aviation industry, safety characteristics cannot suffer, since this is not the segment where such decisions should be made, Denis Manturov, head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, told Izvestia.
Vladimir Putin boarded one of these planes: inspected the cockpit of a supersonic bomber, and then sat at the controls. Having learned that the missile carrier did not yet have a name, the president proposed naming it in honor of the first president of Tatarstan, Mintimer Shaimiev. “A man who has done a lot for the whole country, for all of Russia,” noted the head of state.
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