Thousands of athletes in both major and obscure sports will be vying for medals in the Russian city of Kazan at the sixth BRICS Games, an international competition shadowed by politics amid Russia's exclusion from major sports events. The games opened Wednesday, which Russia observes as its independence day holiday, underlining the key role that sports plays in its national identity. Since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has been frozen out of the most prominent international competitions and sports associations; some Russian passport holders will be allowed to compete as neutral athletes in the Paris Olympics that begin July 26, but their results will not be credited to Russia. In that atmosphere, the BRICS Games are a way for Russia to underline its aggrieved claims of prejudice and inequitable treatment by the West and international sports organizations. Our country has always adhered to the principle that sport is beyond politics, but we are constant
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday concluded a "very productive" visit to South Africa during which he attended the "historic" 15th BRICS Summit and held bilateral meetings with several world leaders to further cement India's relations with those countries. Modi arrived in South Africa on Tuesday for the first in-person BRICS Summit after three consecutive years of virtual meetings because of the Covid-19 pandemic. "PM @narendramodi wraps up a fruitful visit to South Africa that launched a new chapter in the BRICS journey. PM now emplanes for Greece for engagements with an important Mediterranean partner," Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi posted on X. "My visit to South Africa was a very productive one. The BRICS Summit was fruitful and historic as we welcomed new countries to this forum. We will keep working together for global good. My gratitude to President @CyrilRamaphosa, the people and Government of South Africa for their hospitality," Modi
Defence expert, "They didn't expect that such a development would take place in China."