The participants of the 3rd Kazan Global Youth Summit - Ministers of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Member States of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation - visited the facilities of the Volga Region State University of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism. In particular, the delegates visited the Aquatics Palace and the Tennis Academy, familiarised themselves with the university's Training and Laboratory Building and accommodation facilities at the Universiade Village.
On 21-24 August, Kazan hosted the III Kazan Global Youth Summit. More than 110 delegates from 43 countries took part in the large-scale event. Among the guests are representatives of the youth ministries of the OIC and BRICS member states.
As ‘Real Time’ reports, the event was first held in Kazan two years ago, when the city was recognised as the international capital of the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). About 300 guests from 67 countries attended the summit. In 2023, the number of admitted participants and their geography halved: 140 people from 30 countries came to the capital of Tatarstan. At that time, four thousand delegates from more than 80 countries applied. This year, more than seven thousand residents of 123 countries expressed their desire to come.
The main topic of the summit was the holding of the first Youth Islamic Games in Kazan.
"The program of the first Youth Islamic Games, which are planned to be held in Kazan in 2025, will include not only sports competitions, but also many cultural and educational events," Timur Suleimanov, head of the "Movement of the First" in Tatarstan, told TASS on the sidelines of the III Kazan Global Youth Summit.
"We think that on the sidelines of this summit, this idea will also receive a great response from all participating countries. We are currently discussing the details, the format of this multi-sport event for children under 17 years of age under the auspices of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)," he said. "We think that this will be a large humanitarian forum, where, in addition to sports competitions, there will also be various working platforms, discussions devoted to a healthy lifestyle, physical education, and sports."
According to Timur Suleimanov, the organizers expect that almost the entire geography of OIC countries will be represented at the tournament.
"It is also important to note that here we had the opportunity to discuss the details of this event with the Deputy Secretary General of the OIC. They, for their part, confirmed their comprehensive support for this initiative. Moreover, it is planned that the words of support will also be recorded in a separate paragraph in the final resolution of the Conference of Foreign Ministers [of the OIC states] in Cameroon, which will take place in just a week, at the end of August," he added. Suleimanov noted that the sports program of the upcoming tournament has not yet been finally approved. According to him, the possibility of including phygital sports competitions in the list of disciplines is being considered.
