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2nd CIS Games in Belarus

The 2^ndCIS Games took place in Belarus from 4 to 14 August 2023. The large-scale sports festival, which spanned 11 cities, brought together more than 6,000 participants: about 4,000 athletes, coaches, referees, medical staff, sports journalists and foreign fans. Thanks to the wide geography, the Games drew diverse and large audiences.

The CIS Games debuted in 2021 in Kazan, Russian Federation. The maiden edition drew together 1,139 athletes aged 14 to 23 years from nine CIS countries. Team Belarus won 69 medals (8 gold, 32 silver, 29 bronze) and placed fifth in the medal standings.

Participants

The CIS Games in Belarus became much more ambitious. The regulations implied an open format. In other words, the Games were open to athletes from the CIS member states and non-CIS countries. The largest delegations were sent by the CIS countries: Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Teams of Bahrain, Venezuela, Vietnam, Egypt, Iran, Cuba, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, UAE, Oman and Pakistan competed in some events.

Most disciplines in Minsk, as in Kazan, ran junior programs. However, some disciplines were open to the strongest athletes, regardless of age. These were sambo, weightlifting, rhythmic gymnastics, beach football and field hockey. Given the quality of the CIS national teams, competition was tough, on par with European and world championships.

Program

The 2nd CIS Games featured medal events in 20 sports. These were athletics, volleyball, modern pentathlon, bullseye shooting, rhythmic gymnastics, beach football, 3x3 basketball, mini-football, wrestling (Greco-Roman, freestyle, women), beach volleyball, handball, swimming, Muay Thai, boxing, judo, sambo, field hockey, weightlifting, archery, and karate.

The opening and closing ceremonies of the Games were held in Minsk Arena, the largest indoor venue of the Belarusian capital city, on 5 and 13 August.

Venues

The 2^nd CIS Games were hosted by 11 cities of Belarus - the capital Minsk, oblast capitals Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno and Mogilev and also Borisov, Zhlobin, Molodechno, Orsha and Soligorsk.

These cities across Belarus were chosen for a reason: they have the most convenient and unusual infrastructure. For example, in Vitebsk, the Muay Thai events took place in the famous Summer Amphitheater.

Minsk

Dinamo Stadium (athletics)
Sports Palace (volleyball)
Palova Arena (3x3 basketball)
Palace of Rhythmic Gymnastics (rhythmic gymnastics)
Republican Center for Olympic Training in Athletics (athletics)
Chizhovka Arena (volleyball)
Palace of Team Sports (mini-football)
Olimpiysky Sports Complex (beach football)
Belarusian State University of Physical Culture (modern pentathlon)
Timoshenko Sports and Shooting Complex (bullseye shooting)

Brest

Meshkov Sports Palace Victoria (handball)
Brest Regional Olympic Reserve Center for Water Sports (swimming)

Vitebsk

Summer Amphitheater (Muay Thai)
Vitebsk State Medical University (Muay Thai)

Gomel

Gomel Ice Palace of Sports (judo)

Grodno

Grodno Regional Olympic Reserve Center (field hockey)
HC Neman Ice Palace (weightlifting)

Mogilev

Olympian Sports Complex (karate)
FC Dnepr-Mogilev Stadium (archery)

Zhlobin

Olympic Reserve Center (sambo)

Molodechno

Ogonek Sports Club (beach volleyball)

Orsha

Ice Arena (boxing)

Soligorsk

Shakhter Sports and Entertainment complex (wrestling)

Entry to the competitions was free. Each host city offered presentation programs and fan zones.

The program of the 2^nd CIS Games featured numerous workshops, athlete meet-and-greets and autograph sessions with star athletes, like multiple world and Olympic champion wrestler Aleksandr Karelin and swimmer Vladimir Salnikov, professional boxing world champion Nikolai Valuev and many others.

The Games were an opportunity not only to attend sport events but also to see a lot of interesting things in Belarus. Tour operators worked out excursions around the host cities and famous sights of the country's regions.

Symbols and mascot

The logo of the 2023 Games in Belarus united Belarusian traditional elements – an eight-pointed star that blossoms into a bright cornflower. The ornamental star is rooted in mythology, while the cornflower is one of the old unofficial symbols of the hospitable Belarusian land. The logo is mainly in dark blue and light blue colors – cornflower colors. It also features the other colors of the Olympic rings - black, red, yellow and green.

The slogan of the 2^nd CIS Games was Strong in Spirit, Strong in Competition!

The lynx was chosen as the mascot of the Games. This agile wild animal has sharp eyesight and outstanding natural intuition. It is also often described in heraldry as nimble, quick and smart. The patterns on the mascot body were inspired by the works of Belarusian artist Alena Kish. They refer to the style of malyavankas [hand-made painted wall rugs].

Visa-waiver

The head of state signed a decree on a number of preferences for the participants and personnel of the Games, including the visa waiver which was valid from 3 July to 31 August 2023.

Fans – citizens of the CIS countries – were able to enter Belarus without a visa. Belarus had a 30-day visa-free waiver for foreigners from more than 70 countries, provided that they arrive in the country by air. Visa-free entry was also available for citizens of Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, valid until the end of 2023.

Volunteers

Like the 2019 European Games, the 2^nd CIS Games attracted volunteers. About 1,000 of them (young men and women, mostly students) underwent training at the test tournaments ahead of the 2^nd CIS Games.