Sports should be free of politics, says Putin

Kazan, 22 Feb - Politics should be kept out of sports as they are designed to unite people, not divide them, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

Putin thanked Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during their meeting for attending the Games of the Future, indicating that this sporting event is "of a humanitarian nature."

"I have emphasized repeatedly and I want to say it again: sports should be free of any politics, instead, they must bring people closer together. We have many participants (at the Games of the Future - TASS) from more than 100 countries. They have come from 104 countries, from different continents," Putin said at a meeting.

According to the Russian leader, among those who arrived at the opening ceremony of the Games of the Future are supporters of e-sports as well as traditional sports.

"Let's wait and see how this will look in practice. No doubt it will do good. What is more, in many countries around the world young people have an interest in new sports," Putin said.

In the president's opinion, it is "very good" that the event includes not only e-sports "which allow you to sit endlessly, but also movement, real sports."