Unlike the Olympic Games, the upcoming Russian-hosted international sporting events, such as the BRICS Games and the World Friendship Games, are truly based on the principles of the Olympic Charter, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.
"The BRICS Games, the Children of Asia Games, the Friendship Games and many other sports events are coming up, which, unlike some others, will be based on the very ideals of Olympism, which are enshrined in the Olympic Charter and which the current leadership of the International Olympic Committee [IOC], to its shame I hope, despises and tramples in favor of the same hegemons, who are trying to preserve their role as hegemons by any means necessary," Lavrov told a joint press conference after meeting with Wang.
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine. The following day, the IOC Executive Board issued a recommendation for international sports federations to cancel or relocate their competitions that were scheduled to take place in Russia. On February 28, 2022, the IOC issued another recommendation to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from international competitions or only allow them to compete in neutral status. Most sports federations have complied.
The World Friendship Games are set to take place from September 15-29 in Moscow and Yekaterinburg. In March, the IOC called on athletes and governments to boycott the games, claiming they were politically motivated.
The BRICS Games will take place from June 11-24 in Russia's Kazan, while the Children of Asia International Sports Games will be held in Yakutsk from June 25 to July 7.