The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, spoke to attendees at the inaugural ceremony of the event titled “100 Days Before the Games of the Future,” a segment of the broader “Russia” exhibition and forum. The video of his remarks appeared on the official Kremlin website.
Putin described a future-facing vision that blends traditional sport with e-sports, presenting it as a reflection of Russia’s openness to innovation while preserving its rich cultural heritage. He suggested that participants and guests of the Games of the Future would witness this synthesis firsthand in Kazan, a city renowned for its history and its ongoing cultural exchange where diverse traditions meet and mutually enrich one another.
The president underscored the role of sports and Olympism as guiding principles for the philosophy of the Games of the Future. He highlighted that the event has already drawn representatives from fifty nations and stressed that this is only the beginning. He invited a broad participation across borders and disciplines, closing his remarks with a hopeful invitation to audiences: See you in Kazan.
In his closing words, he announced that the Games of the Future would commence in Kazan in 100 days, with the tournament scheduled to unfold from February 21 to March 3, 2024. This timing sets the stage for a major convergence of athletic excellence and digital competition, signaling a new era for multi-dimensional sport events.
The event is presented as a phygital showcase, a new format that merges physical competition with digital play. Athletes will perform across two intertwined realms, testing the limits of their physical prowess while also pushing the boundaries of digital skill and reaction time. This dual emphasis aims to demonstrate how modern athletic performance can thrive when the best of both worlds is brought together in a single platform.
Organizers anticipate participation from more than two thousand athletes and expect involvement from about 260 seasoned teams representing more than a hundred countries. The scale of the gathering highlights the event’s ambition to serve as a global stage where high-level competition and cross-cultural exchange converge, creating opportunities for teams to learn from one another and to showcase innovations at the intersection of sport and technology.
Earlier communications noted that Sberbank would provide support for the establishment and execution of the Future Games, underscoring the collaboration between public and corporate entities to realize this new sporting initiative. The commitment from sponsors and partners signals a shared interest in advancing a model that blends traditional athletic competition with digital engagement, potentially shaping similar events in the coming years.