President of the Children of Asia International Committee Vladimir Maksimov was a speaker at the XIII International Sports Forum "Russia - Sports Power", where he shared the successful experience of promoting Russian regions through international sports projects.
In the section "Introducing Russia through sports. Forming sports brands of regions", which was moderated by Olympic champion in figure skating Alexei Yagudin, Vladimir Maksimov spoke in detail about how the Children of Asia Games have become an effective tool for creating tourist attractiveness of the hosting regions over 28 years of the Games holding.
In his speech, the CAIC President emphasized that the Games, which were founded in 1996 to commemorate the centenary of the Olympic Games, have evolved from regional competitions to the largest multi-sport events in Asia for young athletes. "During the Games, they have brought together approximately 18,000 young athletes from 40 foreign countries and regions of Russia. Many of them have started their international career at Children of Asia Games," he said.
The CAIC President also highlighted the Games' infrastructure legacy. In Yakutia that has hosted the Games for 20 years, dozens of sports and social facilities have been built and renovated. "Thanks to this legacy, the region has become one of the most sports-oriented territories not only in the Far East, but also in Russia," said Vladimir Maksimov.
The role of sports events in promoting tourism potential was a key topic of the speech. "Guests and young athletes from many Asian countries have experienced warm hospitality of the people of Yakutia, tasted seafood of Sakhalin, seen beautiful bays of Primorie, and gone skiing in the mountain peaks of Kuzbass," said Maksimov. He emphasized that for 80% of participants, the Games are their first international trip, which makes it especially important to create a positive image of the region and the country.
"We are confident that host regions significantly enhance their tourist and investment attractiveness. The legacy of the Children of Asia Games is not only modern infrastructure, but also strengthening of international ties and creating an attractive image of the country abroad," concluded Vladimir Maksimov.
The Forum "Russia is Sports Power" is taking place in Samara from November 5 to 7 and brings together leading experts from the sports industry to discuss key issues related to the development of sports in the country.
