Games of the Future explained

2024 Games of the Future
Sport:	Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, World of Tanks, Laser tag, Skateboarding, Basketball and others
Location:	Kazan, Russia
Start Date:	February 21, 2024
End Date:	March 3, 2024
Participants:	More than 2000
Website:	https://en.gofuture.games/

The Games of the Future (Russian: Игры будущего; Arabic: العاب المستقبل) is an annual multi-sport tournament in the concept of physical-digital (phygital) sports. The first edition was held with a total prize pool of $10 million.^[1] ^[2]

The first edition of the tournament was held from February 21 to March 3, 2024 in Kazan, Russia. More than 260 international teams and over two thousand participants from around the world took part in the tournament.

The competition featured 21 innovative disciplines based on a combination of physical activity, modern technology and digital environments, and players met in five areas ranging from sports to technology.

The format of competitions in phygital disciplines implies the use of developments in the field of game development, esports, robotics, augmented and virtual reality, information technology and artificial intelligence.^[2] Each of the disciplines represents a combination of dynamic sports with the most popular video games and technologies. There were 10 qualifiers for the tournament, the Phygital Games.

On February 21, 2024, the opening ceremony of the debut tournament was held, attended by President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.^[2]

Development and preparation

The Organizing Committee for the preparation and holding of the Games of the Future was created by the Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation in September 2021,^[3] headed by Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Chernyshenko, and also included the Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation Oleg Matytsin.^[4] The tournament is headed by Igor Stolyarov.

In November 2021, a contest for the venue of the Games of the Future was launched,^[5] within which more than 40 regions expressed their desire to host the tournament, 19 cities became contenders, the application campaign was completed in June 2022.^[6] The decision to hold the tournament in Kazan was announced on June 16, 2022 at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.^[7]

On December 19, 2022, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin signed a decree "On holding the International Multisport Tournament "Games of the Future" in 2024 in Kazan".

By the order of the Ministry of Sport of January 31, 2023, Phygital Sports were officially recognized and included in the All-Russian Register of Sports and Sports Disciplines,^[8] and later the world's first All-Russian Federation of Phygital Sports (VFFS) was established.^[9]

On November 14, 2023, 100 days before the "Games of the Future", the trophy of the upcoming tournament was presented. Within the framework of the motor rally "Games of the Future. The trophy's journey", which was launched by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko at the Russia exhibition and forum in Moscow,^[10] it was planned that the trophy would visit the International Space Station. On the same day, the mascot of the upcoming tournament, the MIRA Firebird, was unveiled.^[11]

The prize pool of the tournament amounted to $10 million for all disciplines. Phygital soccer and phygital basketball will receive the bulk of the prize money - $1.25 million each. Phygital hockey, racing, martial arts, and skateboarding will receive $500,000, and Dota 2 winners will receive $1 million.^[12]

On February 8, 2024, following talks between Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, China confirmed the participation of its athletes in the Games of the Future.^[13]

During the opening ceremony of the 2024 Games, the presidents of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan proposed to hold the "Games of the Future" in 2025 and 2026 in these countries.^[14]

On March 3, 2024, an award ceremony for the best volunteers of the first Future Games was held. It was attended by Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Chernyshenko, Head of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and Minister of Sports Oleg Matytsin.^[15]

On March 4, 2024, Igor Stolyarov, the head of the Games of the Future, said that over 2,000 people from 107 countries took part in the tournament.^[16]

On June 1, 2024, the 2025 Games of the Future will be held in the United Arab Emirates.^[17]

The Games

Over 260 teams and over 2000 athletes from different countries were planned to participate in the tournament in 21 disciplines (16 in the main program and 5 in the extended program). The competitions were divided into 5 categories (challenges): sport, tactics, strategy, speed and technology.

Schedule

On September 28, 2023, the 2024 Games of the Future schedule was unveiled.^[18] :

February 21 - opening ceremony;
February 23 - Phygital martial arts, Phygital hockey;
February 24 - Warface Finals + laser tag;
February 25 - World of Tanks + superfinal;
February 26 - Dota 2 final + superfinal;
February 27 - Battle of the Robots final;
February 28 - CS 2 finals + laser tag;
February 29 - finals of Phygital Basketball, Sports Programming, E-Athletics, Drone Race;
March 1 - finals of Just Dance, Beat Saber;
March 2 - finals of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang + Super Final;
March 3 - finals of Phygital Football, Phygital Racing, Phygital Skateboarding and Standoff 2 + laser tag;
March 3 - closing ceremony.

Concerns and controversies

Several teams have rejected the invitation to participate in the Games due to concerns of personal data being misused.^[19] Nigma Galaxy withdrew from the tournament due to fears of being banned from official Valve tournaments.^[20] United States Senator Mitt Romney concerned about Russia's growing influence in esports.^[21]