Economically, Russia is not really isolated, despite the Ukraine war. Sporty, on the other hand, it is. Now Moscow wants to take countermeasures here.

Saint Petersburg – Vladimir Putin would have loved to chalk up the Ukraine war as a quick success. Three days after the start of the invasion, the Kyiv government led by President Volodymyr Zelensky was said to have been overthrown, the members arrested and subsequently replaced by Moscow loyalists.

But instead, countless deaths have been mourned on both sides for more than 14 months. The troops from Russia have hardly made any progress for about a year and are in danger of being significantly pushed back in the course of Ukraine's planned counteroffensive, as they did in the autumn. When the bloodshed and destruction will come to an end, no one can predict. At least in his own country, where not only opposition members have to fear for their well-being, it even seems to benefit the Kremlin chief if the war drags on.

Russia and the BRICS Games: Putin's sporting event in 2024?

So it is far from impossible that the so-called special military operation will continue into 2024. But that doesn't have to stop Putin from planning a sporting event in his country. After the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2018 World Cup, the new major event would be a few sizes smaller, but only nations would be represented that are sympathetic to the 70-year-old despite the atrocities committed by his army.

As reported by the Russian news agency Tass, Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin proposed at a government meeting to hold the so-called BRICS Games 2024 in Russia. The abbreviation stands for an association of emerging economies. It is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. An alternative to the G7, so to speak.

BRICS as an alternative to the G7: Alliance around Russia could accept new members

The quintet holds more than a quarter of the world's land mass and has more than 40 percent of the world's population. In contrast to the alliance of the leading industrialized countries of the Western world, from which Russia was expelled after the annexation of Crimea, expansion is planned.

19 nations are said to have expressed their interest in admission. The Times of India names Saudi Arabia, Iran, Argentina, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Egypt, Bahrain and Indonesia. In addition, according to South Africa's BRICS ambassador Anil Sooklal, there are also two East African states and one from West Africa, whose names he did not name. An extension is to be discussed in Cape Town on 2 and 3 June. So far, only South Africa had joined the founding quartet in 2010, which was formed in 2006.

0

Also Read

Power struggle in the Kremlin: Secret documents probably show Putin's rebuff for Wagner - and Shoigu's explosive plans

READ

Nuclear submarines at risk: How Putin's navy is squandering its fleet advantage

READ

Green Party leader Lang doesn't want to know anything about green felt – and attacks Söder on ARD

READ

NATO "pre-alarm" triggered: Russian fighter jet almost crashes Poland patrol

READ

Russia attacks Kyiv and Odessa from the air

READ

Fancy a voyage of discovery?

My area: Will he host the BRICS Games in Russia in 2024? Since the beginning of the war, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin (archive image) has had to almost completely do without international sports appearances by his stars. © IMAGO / SNA

BRICS Games 2024 in Russia? Sports Minister considers the event to be "particularly important"

According to Matytsin, hosting the BRICS Games, which premiered in China in 2017, would also be "particularly important because there is a prospect of expanding the format to include new member states." Russia will hold the presidency in 2024. Due to the war of aggression, Russian athletes are excluded from a large part of international sports competitions, and in some sports such as tennis, the players compete under a neutral flag.

IOC President Thomas Bach, supreme master of the Olympic Games, recently suggested that Russian athletes should be allowed to return to competition under certain conditions. In doing so, however, he drew fierce criticism.

The BRICS Games would therefore be the first opportunity since the invasion of Ukraine where Russia can once again present itself as a sporting nation. And as is well known, Putin likes to bask in sporting successes almost as much as he does in military ones. (mg)