Thousands of athletes from various sports, both popular and lesser-known, will compete for medals in Kazan, Russia, at the sixth BRICS Games, an international event overshadowed by politics due to Russia’s exclusion from major sports events.
The games started on Wednesday, coinciding with Russia’s independence day holiday, highlighting the significance of sports in Russian national identity.
Due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the country has been barred from participating in prominent international competitions and sports associations. Some Russian passport holders may compete as neutral athletes in the upcoming Paris Olympics, starting July 26, but their results will not be credited to Russia.
Amid this environment, the BRICS Games serve as an opportunity for Russia to emphasize its grievances regarding perceived prejudice and unfair treatment by the West and international sports organizations.
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, who oversees the games, stated in May, “Our country has always upheld the principle that sport is beyond politics, but we are constantly pulled into politics, as they understand the importance of sport in the lives of our Russian people.”
Former Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin, while organizing the games, emphasized that they were not intended as a replacement for the Olympics, stating, “We consider that the Olympic Games have no alternative.”
Even the name of the games implies an alternative interpretation. BRICS, representing Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has transformed from a group promoting investments to a geopolitical bloc positioning itself as a counterweight to North America and the European Union. It has now expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The games, held annually since 2017 in the BRICS rotating chair country, have included varying numbers of sports. The first competition, held in China, featured only volleyball, wushu, and taolu. Wushu, also known as kung fu, is the Chinese term for “martial arts” and has been a part of the Asian Games since 1990. Taolu involves performing sets and choreographed routines that demonstrate principles of attack and defense. The Kazan edition is the largest and most diverse, with medals to be awarded in 27 sports, encompassing familiar events like tennis, wrestling, and weightlifting, as well as niche and emerging sports.
The games will include competitions in two “phygital” sports — soccer and basketball — combining physical matchups with gameplay on video screens. Additional disciplines such as “acrobatic rock n’ roll,” belt wrestling, and Koresh belt wrestling are also featured.
Organizers anticipate approximately 4,000 participants at the games, running through June 23, but the number of represented countries remains ambiguous. The games’ website states that over 60 countries were invited but lists 91 on its medals table. Deputy Prime Minister Chernyshenko stated that entries have been received from 97 countries.
The list of participants also includes Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Georgian regions under Russian control since a 2008 war that Russia later recognized as independent, though they are not widely accepted as independent countries by most. Additionally, Republika Srpska, a constituent state of Bosnia-Herzegovina, is listed separately.
