Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) President Francesco Ricci Bitti said Saturday he did not believe BRICS Games could become a serious alternative to the Olympics, next hosted by Paris
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd June, 2023) Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) President Francesco Ricci Bitti said Saturday he did not believe BRICS Games could become a serious alternative to the Olympics, next hosted by Paris.
The International Olympics Committee (IOC) has not yet made a decision on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Olympic Games in Paris. The final decision will be made not earlier than a year before they start. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the Cabinet to submit by July 1 proposals for the BRICS Games that could be held in Russia in 2024.
"I cannot answer for the President of the IOC, but I believe that there is not so much strength to have something (which is a) very important alternative. It is better to avoid this because this will always be very contentious. I believe there have been examples in the past where Games have been played in the time of the boycott that has not resulted in something very solid. Personally, I would not be so worried, but this is not a question for me as I am not the leader of the sports movement," Bitti was quoted as saying by Olympic news website insidethegames.biz.
In 1984, against the backdrop of the boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics, the Soviet Union organized the Friendship-84 games with athletes from more than 50 countries. Some competitions were held in Poland, Hungary, East Germany, and other socialist countries. In 1986, American television magnate Ted Turner organized the Goodwill Games, which ran until 2001.
