Retired Olympic champion and current State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova spoke about the Baltic Select team during their appearance at the Games of the Future, noting that the event blends esports with traditional ice hockey and that the Latvian authorities have taken a strict stance toward competing athletes. Zhurova pointed to a broader debate about whether sports governance should step into the licensing and citizenship arena, suggesting that such moves could set a troubling precedent for athletes who pursue opportunities on the international stage. She emphasized that participation in the Games of the Future is voluntary and that many players take pride in competing across disciplines, a sentiment she believes resonates with players who come to Kazan for the experience rather than to make political statements.
The Baltic Select squad, featuring eight hockey players, advanced to the semifinals before finishing with a strong effort to contend for a bronze medal. The team showcases a dual-format challenge: athletes first compete in an electronic version of hockey, and then pair up on the real ice to determine the winner in the traditional game. This structure underlines a growing trend in contemporary sport, where digital and physical competitions intersect to highlight skill, strategy, and teamwork in fresh ways, while also attracting a diverse audience of fans who follow both formats.
The opening ceremony for the Games of the Future took place on February 21 in Kazan, with the event slated to run until March 3. The competition invites professional athletes and clubs from around the world to participate across twenty-one distinct disciplines. In total, athletes from more than one hundred seven countries are expected to take part, all competing for a substantial prize pool estimated at ten million dollars. The event embodies a broad vision of sport that blends cutting-edge digital competition with established athletic disciplines, inviting participants to demonstrate mastery in multisport environments while engaging audiences through immersive formats and compelling narratives.
In response to ongoing developments, the Russian Olympic Committee has publicly advocated for the interests of Russian athletes, arguing for clarity and fairness in the evolving landscape where sport, licensing, and nationality intersect. The group has underscored the importance of safeguarding athletes’ rights and opportunities on the world stage, stressing that sporting integrity must align with contemporary governance to support talent across borders and disciplines. As events like the Games of the Future unfold, observers are watching how policy decisions, national affiliations, and international cooperation shape the experience of competitors who strive for excellence both on the ice and in the digital arena.