MINSK, 16 June (BelTA) – After sport became an instrument of political sanctions, cooperation between Belarus and Russia in this sector have become extremely active: the joint program includes some 700 events and joint board meetings are held every three months, Russian Minister of Sports Oleg Matytsin said on the sidelines of the 26th edition of St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
“Since our countries are both under sanctions, we have become even more united, we see an even greater need to share experience in a variety of areas and we do not feel deprived,” he stressed.
According to Oleg Matytsin, Russia and Belarus have been actively developing the sports sector, developing new sports formats. In particular, Belarus is set to host the 2nd CIS Games on 4-14 August. “We see it as quite a successful project. We see a lot of interest in the games as the event is held in an open format. We have invited athletes from China, Cuba and other countries to take part in the games,” the Russian minister of sports said.
In his words, amid an unprecedented politicization of world sport and intentional destruction of the international principle “sport outside politics” by the West, the topic of sovereignty becomes one of the most important in this field. It is possible to defend the independence in sports also through the development of new formats of high-level competitions. “This will help Russia and our partner states to be competitive, open new opportunities, strengthen cooperation with the CIS, SCO and BRICS countries, including through sports,” Oleg Matytsin said.
According to him, Russia is also planning to hold the BRICS Games and welcome there not only the countries that form the basis of the union. “This will be the BRICS+ format. This event, just like the CIS Games, does not contradict the calendars of either the international federations or the Olympic Committee,” the Russian minister of sports said.
