Putin will be joined at the ceremony by the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Republika Srpska. "Sport should stay out of politics, on the contrary, it should unite people. There is no doubt that this will be for the good," he said. 

"We have always been committed to the promotion of sport and its high humanistic values. The Future Games are our gift to the global sporting family. I am confident that the true spirit of sport will prevail during these Games." 

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has handed Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva a four-year ban from 25 December 2021. Valieva tested positive for doping at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. 

The sanction will take effect on 25 December 2021. This means that any results, titles, medals or awards she has won since then will be null and void. As a result, Russia has lost the gold medal it had won in the team figure skating competition. That medal went to the United States.

The Future Games is a major sporting event that innovatively combines traditional and e-sports. This phygital tournament will be held for the first time in Kazan from 21 February to 3 March 2024. 

It will feature 21 innovative disciplines such as Phygital Football, Phygital Basketball, Phygital Hockey, Phygital MOBA. Dota 2 + Super Final, CS2 + Laser Tag, Robot Combat, Sports Programming, Drone Racing and more. 

Bringing together more than 2,000 athletes from over 100 countries and 270 multinational teams, the Games of the Future are based on the principles of balanced development, openness, adaptability and technological progress.

The best teams from Europe, South America and Asia will compete in five challenge categories: Sports, Tactics, Strategies, Speed and Technology. As well as the athletes, celebrities, well-known athletes, bloggers and streamers will also be part of the experience.