Website launch, invitation campaign start, public opinion polling results
World Friendship Games 2024 Organising Committee spoke about the progress of preparations for the tournament at the Friendship Games 2024 first press conference.
On Monday 4 March, Alexey Sorokin, CEO of the World Friendship Games Organising Committee, participated in the first press conference on Games preparation and holding. The Games will take place from 15 to 29 September in Moscow and Ekaterinburg. The event was held at the World Youth Festival location, where the World Friendship Games Organising Committee is also the organiser of the sports programme.
"The World Friendship Games is an unprecedented multi-sport tournament with over 6,500 participants from around the world. The tournament will feature 283 sets of medals in 36 sports programme events, 24 of the best competition and training venues in two cities will be involved," said Alexey Sorokin in his welcoming speech.
By now, the entire management structure for the preparation of the World Friendship Games 2024 has been formed and is already running.
“We have concluded an agreement with the International Friendship Association (IFA), the organisation that owns the rights and initiates the tournament and is headquartered in the UAE. In the near future we are planning a joint press conference with the heads of the Association, where we will tell you more about our cooperation,” said the CEO of the World Friendship Games Organising Committee. “The Government Organising Committee of the Games co-chaired by Dmitry Chernyshenko and Igor Levitin is actively working. Regional organising committees have been formed and are now operating in the host cities, Moscow and Ekaterinburg. I would also like to note that a law on holding the Games has been submitted to the State Duma of the Russian Federation. This will help us to lay the legal foundation for the upcoming tournament.”
Alexey Sorokin discussed the tournament's details, including the requirements for potential participants and the invitation campaign:
"The Friendship Games 2024 is a commercial tournament with a significant prize fund. The winners will receive $40,000, which will undoubtedly attract potential participants. Additionally, the tournament organisers will cover the cost of flights, transfers, and accommodation for all participants. Invitations have already been sent out, both personally and through sports federations, with priority given to the best athletes in their respective sports."
The CEO also noted the volunteer programme of the Games:
”We have an ambitious volunteer programme ahead of us. Our plan is to recruit 7,500 people, and the recruitment process will begin in just a couple of days here in Sochi. Specialised volunteer centres will assist us with recruitment, and we have been selecting them all winter.”
Konstantin Abramov, head of the VCIOM Foundation, also attended the press conference. He discussed the social research conducted by the World Friendship Games 2024 Organising Committee, which aimed to gauge the attitudes of residents towards the upcoming tournament:
"In December 2023, we conducted a survey of the Russian population about the Games. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that 65% of the people know about the tournament. Of those we asked, 79% responded positively when asked about the impact on Russia's international image. VCIOM Director General reported these findings."
The success of the World Friendship Games 2024 relies heavily on the promotion campaign in Russia and abroad. The official website of the Games – wfg2024.com, was launched by the World Friendship Games 2024 Organising Committee in early March. Initially, the website will be available in Russian and English, with French, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese-language versions to be added in May.
At the end of the press conference, the speakers answered questions from the media. Both those present in person and those who joined the webcast were able to ask questions.
