The First International BRICS+ Blind Football Tournament To Take Place in Moscow

On 18-20 December 2024 Russia will host the inaugural International Blind Football Tournament, which will feature professional teams from the BRICS nations and partner countries. Participation in this socially significant sporting event has been confirmed by representatives from eight countries.

The tournament is an inclusive project of public-private partnership. It is a joint initiative of the Russian Blind Football Federation and the BRICS Civil Council was endorsed in the Kazan Declaration of the XVI BRICS Summit.

Russia chairs BRICS in 2024 under the motto "Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security". With this in mind, efforts are being made to improve all aspects of cooperation across three pillars: Politics and Security, Economics and Finance, and Cultural and People-to-People Ties.

The origins of blind football can be traced back to the inaugural championship conducted in Brazil in 1980, which paved the way for the first world championship in 1998. At present, it is estimated that approximately 39 million individuals worldwide are blind, while approximately 246 million experience visual impairments of variable severity. In Russia alone, 20.7 million individuals experience a variety of visual impairments.

Since the International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) suspended the Russian blind football team from participating in the Blind Football European Championship in March 2022, the launch of an International Blind Football Tournament in Russia presents a unique opportunity for our athletes to compete against international teams at a high level.

The event is expected to attract representatives from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, diplomatic missions, the BRICS Expert Council – Russia, as well as officials from sports agencies and the Russian Paralympic Committee.

The event is organised by the BRICS Expert Council – Russia, based at HSE University. It focuses on expert analysis and research endeavours concerning pressing issues in political, socio-economic, and humanitarian cooperation within the BRICS framework. The Council serves as the national coordinator for Russia's contribution to the Expert and Civil Track within BRICS. The tournament is supported by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The title sponsor will be PhosAgro Group, a global champion in the production of phosphate-based fertilisers.

The competition will also be supported by VTB Bank (PJSC) .

Venue: Moscow, 3 Yuri Nikulin Street, Dynamo Sports Academy

Media accreditation: press@bricscouncil.ru (December 16 until 7:00 pm).

Further details about the event will be posted on the official website of the tournament and the Generation BRICS Telegram channel.