Sport minister takes stock of CIS Games in Belarus

"The format was open. We hosted representatives of 22 countries. We changed the format of the Games itself. We held it not in one city, as it was in Kazan, but all over the country: regional centers, three district centers, the city of Minsk. We are trying new formats for various kinds of competitions: championships within the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States, bilateral events. The third important thing is that we did not invite any foreign specialists. We held this event completely relying solely on our own resources," Sergei Kovalchuk said.

According to him, the CIS Games evoked a great interest. "We saw a wide representation in many sports. Let's take weightlifting. It featured both Olympic champions, multiple world champions, and European champions. If they were not interested, I think they would not compete," the minister stressed. “Take beach soccer. Five out of the eight teams that competed in the CIS Games are in the world's Top 20. If we look into sambo, then the tournament that took place in Zhlobin was actually world championships. We were happy with the attendance. No matter what competition, the stands were packed.”