Is Russia planning to launch a new multi-sport event?

In 2021, Russia developed and hosted the inaugural Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Games for nine former Soviet countries.

Vladimir Putin in a file photo (Image Credits - Twitter)
By Abhiruchi Rout | Mar 16, 2023 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Russia has suggested holding a new multi-sport event for members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional organization comprised of China, India, Pakistan, and four former Soviet Central Asian states. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, made the initial suggestion at a SCO conference in September 2022. The idea for the SCO Games is a response to the exclusion of Russia from many major international sporting events following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia might use the SCO Games to showcase its athletes and develop connections with other SCO countries.

During a meeting with representatives from other SCO nations’ sports departments on Wednesday in Delhi, Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin offered to organise the event. Nevertheless, Matytsin omitted to say when the occasion may occur, how big it would be, or whether it would be meant to compete with the Olympics. Russia has previously held a multi-sport competition for nearby nations.

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Events that Russia has hosted previously

Nine former Soviet nations participated in the first Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Games in 2021, which Russia organized and hosted. The Tokyo Olympics 2020 that took place just a few weeks prior, however, significantly dominated this competition. There are also the Russia-China Youth Games, a youth competition that Matytsin indicated should be expanded to include additional SCO nations in December 2022. The event’s first iteration, which was held in 2016, sought to promote athletic and cultural contacts between the two nations.

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The creation of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

The SCO was founded in 2001 by Moscow and Beijing as a counterweight to US power in the area. Since then, the organization has had frequent meetings and conducted coordinated military exercises. The proposed SCO Games might improve inter-member relations and offer a different venue for international sporting competitions. It is uncertain whether the International Olympic Committee (IOC) would acknowledge the SCO Games or whether they would be viewed as an alternative competition to the Olympics. However , considering that Russia has recently been shut out of a number of international sporting competitions, the SCO Games might prove to be a welcome chance for the nation to take part in international sports.

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