At the opening ceremony of the BRICS Games in the Russian city of Kazan on June 12, the Georgian flag appeared along with the “flags” of the occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions of Georgia.
“Flag” of the occupied region of Abkhazia at the opening ceremony of the BRICS Games
“Flag” of the occupied region of Tskhinvali at the opening ceremony of the BRICS Games
Although two Georgian sambo athletes are officially registered as participants on the BRICS website, the Georgian Sambo Federation told RFE/RL’s Georgian Service that they did not travel to Russia and did not take part in the Russian-dominated sports competition.
The participants of the opening ceremony were also addressed by Vladimir Putin.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Russian Federation has been excluded from almost all international big sports competitions. The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Games, an organization dominated by Russia itself, continues to hold international sports competitions, with the participation, among others, of unrecognized entities, such as the Russian-occupied Abkhazia, Tskhinavli reigon, also LNR, DNR, Transnistria and others.
Later last year, it was reported that athletes from Georgia’s occupied territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali would participate in the BRICS Games.
We have asked the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment and will update the news as soon as we receive it.
To be updated…