The “Song of a Friend”, written by Vladimir Vysotsky, tells about a comrade with whom you have to pass the mountain tests. And all this in order to understand whether he is a reliable friend or not. Thus the domestic sport, which extends to the east, will pass this test through the glaciers of sports events.
And after all, you cannot immediately tell whether it is good or bad, this step to the East.
The circle will close in Moscow
Perhaps the most ambitious of the planned projects is the Friendship Games. Moscow will receive them in September 2024. The decision to hold the forum, which could become an alternative to the Olympic Games, was made public this year at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum.
The same Games were held in 1984 in the Soviet Union. Then the USSR and allied countries boycotted the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in response to the capitalist bloc’s boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
The modern Friendship Games will take place a month after the Paris Olympics. The organizers hope that the competition will bring together the best athletes. But frankly, it’s hard to believe. As well as in the participation of athletes from non-friendly countries.
The participation of representatives from neighboring countries is very likely: China is strong in water sports, gymnastics and weightlifting. Here China will seriously compete with us. We must not forget about the countries of the post-Soviet space, where the national wrestling school is widely represented. Countries from Latin America and Africa are expected to participate. The more participants, the more status the tournament has.
But all this with a caveat. If the best athletes from Russia’s friendly countries still come to Moscow a month after the main start of the year.
The winter version of the Friendship Games in 2026 is scheduled to be held in Sochi.
It should be noted that the news about the Friendship Games was enthusiastically received by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). IOC chief Thomas Bach even accused Russia of trying to host a politicized tournament.
“The Russian government accuses us of not maintaining political neutrality. At the same time, it is trying to organize a completely politicized competition,” Bach told the IOC session.
The IOC chief believes that world sport is under threat:
Thomas Bach, head of the IOC: world sport is under threat
there will be many tournaments
And next year the BRICS Games will be held. Diplomats say the competition will be an addition to the Olympic Games. Kazan will host the sports forum in June 2024. There are 22 sports on the competition program. The next International Festival of University Sports, which will be held from August 19 to 31 of this year in Yekaterinburg, will also not be able to do without international participation, and specifically, representatives of the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). , which in addition to Russia, includes India, Kazakhstan, China, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Russian President Vladimir Putin invited SCO members to participate in the Russian version of the Universiade.
“Russian ideas for sports cooperation in the SCO countries have received a response, I invite the teams to Yekaterinburg for the University Sports Festival,” Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin said at the SCO meeting.
In March, the Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation, Oleg Matytsin, announced the creation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Games format. Now the project is under development, and details of future competitions will be presented to the public soon.
And who needs all this?
First of all, us. our sport
In conditions of isolation, Russian sport will inevitably degrade. Both its sports and health part, as well as the sphere of higher achievements. And when the time comes to unite with the world sport, the domestic one will need time to return to its former leadership positions.
Therefore, the idea of holding Winter and Summer Friendship Games, Summer Games of the BRICS and SCO countries is very relevant. This is another chance to show the world that our sport is alive, even though in some places it has been paralyzed by political manifestos. This is also an opportunity to show sports officials who, in their agony, decide not to allow our athletes to participate in certain competitions, that despite the sanctions, our sport lives and will live.
It is important what one of the world sports powers, China, will say. Dozens of elite athletes, millions of contracts and, ultimately, enormous geopolitical influence. Will you be on our side? The question is still open.
How long will this division last?
Hardly.
The well-known Olympic Charter can and must become the basis of the future world sports system. In this historical document, it is written in black and white:
Olympism is based on respect for universal ethical principles, the objective of Olympism is that sport serves humanity by creating a peaceful society, everyone must practice sports without being discriminated against, without respect for personal rights;
If everything is detailed in the Olympic Charter, why invent a bicycle that has traveled long before? He just needs to change the tires, or rather the mind of the IOC, so that he flies at the right speed in the name of the spirit of Olympism. And while our old bike is being repaired, we’ll take another one.
I want to believe, not forever.
And while the discrimination continues:
The Czech Republic banned its athletes from performing in Russia. Who is at risk now?
