The BRICS nations (originally consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) expanded to include new members in 2024, namely Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, enhancing cultural exchange and mutual development. One collaborative avenue is sports, used not only to build relationships but also to inspire unity among diverse populations.

The role of the BRICS Sports Games in member countries’ cooperation

The BRICS Sports Games began in 2017 as a multi-sport event, being a focal point for sporting cooperation, alongside several formal meetings of sports ministers, which have set strategic initiatives for expanding BRICS athletic partnerships.

Initially hosted in Guangzhou, China, the first event involved competitions in basketball, volleyball, and wushu, as reported by the official website of the BRICS Games 2024. Since then, the games have grown to include a wider range of sports each year, varying by host nation. Moreover, the BRICS Games are unique in featuring indigenous sports, from Brazil’s Capoeira to India’s Kabaddi and China’s Wushu, bridging cultural divides and enhancing mutual respect.

The events were planned yearly until the COVID-19 pandemic led to the 2020 and 2021 editions being held online to ensure participant safety.

In 2020, the first BRICS Sports Ministers Meeting led to the adoption of a Memorandum of Cooperation in physical education and sports. This agreement, among other goals, includes an annual BRICS Sports Games hosted by the chair nation, reinforcing a commitment to sporting exchange and cultural representation within the group.

In 2023, South Africa hosted the BRICS Games in Durban, and athletes competed in swimming, tennis, badminton, and events for disabled athletes. As part of the Russian chairmanship of BRICS, the 2024 Games took place in Kazan and featured 29 sports, including rhythmic gymnastics, judo, and national sports such as Wushu and Koresh belt wrestling, bringing together over 5,000 athletes.

Additionally, as part of the 2024 Sport Games, the BRICS ministers of sport held a meeting that was attended by the representatives of the member countries.

The key outcome of the meeting was the adoption of a joint statement by the BRICS ministers of sport that was coordinated during expert meetings by a BRICS working group held the day before.

The statement noted the need to hold joint training, sports events, sports exchanges of coaches and specialists, meetings, and sessions of the joint working group in the periods between meetings of the BRICS ministers, as reported by the official websites of Russia’s BRICS 2024 Chairship.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Mikhail Degtyarev, Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation, spoke about future joint initiatives of the BRICS countries.

“Sports cooperation of BRICS countries is being built in the spirit of partnership and remains one of the priority areas of interaction between our states. A key initiative was the development of a framework programme for sports cooperation. It will contain the rules for holding the BRICS Games in the chairing country. Russia took the initiative to develop this programme. The document is designed to become the cornerstone for the development of cooperation and to consolidate the inalienable values of the sports movement,” said the Russian Minister of Sport.

In an exclusive commentary for TV BRICS, Andrey Volkov, Geopolitologist, International Lawyer and Expert on International Relations, spoke about the global impact and significance of the BRICS sports games on the world stage.

“The BRICS Games could symbolise the unity of nations representing a substantial share of the world’s population and economy, creating a unique platform to address critical global issues and collaborate towards a balanced and sustainable future. This event highlights the growing influence of BRICS+ countries, underscoring their expanding role in promoting a multipolar world order characterised by diversity and cooperation,” he stated.

BRICS Marathon League to establish sports as a bridge among the BRICS countries

On 15 June 2023, as part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, an agreement was signed to establish the BRICS Marathon League, centred around Russia’s three largest marathons in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Kazan.

The signing ceremony took place at the stand of the Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation and included key officials: Aleksey Kondarantsev, Head of Moscow’s Department of Sport; Vladimir Leonov, Minister of Sport of Tatarstan; and Anton Shantyr, Chairman of the St. Petersburg Committee on Physical Culture and Sport. This initiative aims to strengthen international cooperation through sports and celebrate the cultural and athletic exchange among BRICS nations.

The idea of the BRICS Marathon League emerged from ongoing discussions among BRICS Sports Ministers, focusing on enhancing athletic cooperation and promoting mutual understanding through sport.

The joint statement by the BRICS Sports Ministers within the frameworks of the Chairship of the Russian Federation in BRICS states that building on the success of the BRICS Games, Russia proposed the Marathon League concept to highlight traditional marathon events across member countries, with each event reflecting the unique landscapes and cultural heritage of the BRICS nations. This was part of Russia’s broader initiative under its 2024 BRICS Chairmanship, which sought to establish sports as a bridge among the ten BRICS member countries.

At the 2024 BRICS Sports Ministers Meeting in Kazan, leaders recognised the League as a unifying platform with potential to attract participants from BRICS and beyond. Early steps toward the League’s realisation included discussions on standardising marathon formats and routes, allowing each country to showcase its national heritage while participating in a shared athletic event.

The League began with Russia’s Moscow Marathon, one of the largest in Europe, which hosted over 30,000 runners in 2024, including participants from Ethiopia, Kenya, and China. The joint statement by the BRICS Sports Ministers highlighted that the next phase of the League plans to include marathons across various BRICS cities, allowing each country to contribute to this growing platform.

In an exclusive commentary for TV BRICS, Head of the Sports Management Department of the Sports Industry Faculty, Doctor of Economics, Professor Vladimir Lednev, said that sporting events organised in the BRICS countries will not only bring a contribution to the sports agenda but also to the cultural interaction between different nations.

“BRICS sports events can be used to enhance cultural exchange between countries. This is highly important to promote traditional values in culture and sport. Sport complements culture; they are strongly linked. It is enough to remember that always during major sporting events, including the Olympic Games, cultural Olympiads and cultural festivals are organised”

Vladimir Lednev Head of the Sports Management Department of the Sports Industry Faculty

The expert believes that the League aims not only to foster camaraderie but also to boost sports tourism and provide shared training opportunities, with discussions ongoing about expanding the League’s reach in 2025 as Brazil assumes the BRICS Chair.

BRICS+ International Youth Forum on Sports Diplomacy as a part of the group’s collaboration

The BRICS+ International Youth Forum was launched in 2023, gathering over 200 participants from 40 countries, and has since evolved into an annual event. Hosted by RUDN University in Moscow, the event is organised by a coalition including the Commonwealth of Sports Diplomacy, the Russia-BRICS Project Office, and supported by Russian sports and educational bodies.

The forum aims to strengthen ties among BRICS+ nations by using sports as a diplomatic tool, promoting cross-cultural understanding, and preparing young leaders for future roles in international sports governance.

The RUDN University website reports that discussions span emerging sports like e-sports as well as traditional athletics, with a goal of establishing sports diplomacy as a means of constructive global engagement. As per the organisers’ idea, the 2024 theme, “Sports Diplomacy: Contours of a Multipolar World,” reflects the intention to leverage sports for broader cultural exchange and cooperative initiatives across multipolar global frameworks.

In 2024, more than 300 youth representatives from 57 countries came to the Russian capital for the Second BRICS+ International Youth Forum.

The event aroused interest from politicians and representatives of civil society. Sergey Burlakov, a Russian Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sport, addressed the forum participants, noting the important role played by the event in the development of youth diplomacy.

Following the agenda of the forum, the participants stated the need to create an international platform for contacts between young representatives of the sports industry, the expert community, diplomats, and public figures, reports the RUDN University website.

Professor Vladimir Lednev, in conversation with TV BRICS, emphasised that sports diplomacy, exemplified by the BRICS collaborative sports initiatives, fosters positive relationships not only within BRICS but also with other nations. With BRICS’s expanded membership, new countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, the UAE, Egypt, and Ethiopia may introduce unique sports and potentially host future games. The broader membership provides increased resources and diverse cultural representation, reinforcing the idea of unity through diversity in international sports.

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