MOSCOW REGION TO HOST INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR GAMES
MOSCOW, May 19 (RIA Novosti sports commentator Mikhail Smirnov) –
>From June 7 to 26, ten towns of the Moscow region and Tula will host
the international sports junior games of the CIS and Baltic States,
as well as China and Singapore.
About 4,200 young athletes and officials from 17 countries, Russia,
Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China,
Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Singapore, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Estonia will participate in the competitions,
the organizing committee reported.
According to deputy chief arbiter Serafim Zorin, the participants
will compete in basketball, free wrestling, Graeco-Roman wrestling,
volleyball, handball, gymnastics, judo, track and field, swimming,
sambo (self-defense without weapon), bullet shooting, table tennis
and fencing.
Unlike the similar competitions in 1998 and 2002, the international
sports junior games of the CIS and Baltic States have a time and
territorial distribution. Chinese and Singaporean table tennis,
fencing, basketball, volleyball and track and field teams will
participate in the competitions for the first time. Representatives
of other countries, including Scandinavia, wanted to join the
competitions. The organizers plan to invite them in the future,
Zorin said.
In his opinion, the games will mark an important stage of preparations
for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. Many young athletes
may take part in the Olympics.