Remote from the most important world-class sporting events due to the war in Ukraine, Russia has established an extravagant competition that combines traditional sports with high digital technologies.

“Future Games”, the first international tournament that combines modern digital technologies and physical activity

In the Russian city of Kazan, the “Games of the Future” – a competition that combines traditional sports with high digital technologies, with prize money totaling ten million dollars from private funds – announced on Thursday, the head of the organizing committee Igor Stolyarov. , informs EFE.

“The entire prize fund is the participants’ donations, there is not even a ruble from the budget. We prefer to call donors partners, not sponsors,” a Russian official told TASS.

This is the first international tournament that combines modern digital technologies and physical activity, and also includes competitions in various disciplines of eSports, robotics, virtual and augmented reality, computer technology and artificial intelligence.

According to the organizers, almost 2,000 athletes from 107 countries are participating in the competition, which will last until March 3.

The tournament includes football and hockey matches, both physical and computer, robot battles, strategy games, simulator or drone races and even programming competitions.

The Future Games were inaugurated on Wednesday by President Vladimir Putin, who welcomed “pioneers of ‘physical’ sports (a combination of physical and digital) in Russia at an event “with a completely new, innovative format”.

“This is truly the Games of the future,” added the Russian president, welcoming the fact that Russia has for the first time combined classical sports with eSports.

“Our country was and will be one of the main sports nations of the planet, the homeland of great athletes, victories and records. We always support the popularization of sport and its high human values. “The Future Games are our gift to the world sports family,” Putin added, stressing that such a tournament “is free from any political context, any discrimination or double standards.”

With Russian sport blocked from major international competitions due to doping scandals and the war in Ukraine, Russia has proposed three alternative events. These are the Future Games, which are currently being held in Kazan, the BRICS Games, which are also planned for the Tatar capital in June, and the Friendship Games, which will be held in September in Moscow and Yekaterinburg, as an alternative to the Olympic Games in Paris. , in which the participation of Russian athletes has not yet been ensured.

Source: Agerpres