NEW DELHI — Russia provided Wednesday to host a brand new multi-sports occasion for international locations corresponding to China and India that are members of a regional grouping often called the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Russian President Vladimir Putin beforehand urged creating the occasion at an SCO summit in September. His suggestion got here at a time when Russia is excluded from many occasions in Olympic sports activities following its invasion of Ukraine final 12 months.

Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin provided to host the so-called SCO Games in Russia at a gathering with sports activities officers from different SCO nations in India on Wednesday, his ministry mentioned in an announcement.

Moscow and Beijing created the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization that additionally contains India, Pakistan and 4 ex-Soviet nations in Central Asia as a counterweight to U.S. affect. The group has held common summits and staged joint navy drills.

Matytsin’s feedback contained no particulars of when the occasion may happen, how massive it could be or if it could be supposed to rival the Olympics.

Russia is already concerned in different regional multi-sport occasions on a comparatively modest scale. Russia developed and hosted the inaugural CIS Games in 2021 for 9 ex-Soviet international locations, a contest largely overshadowed by the Tokyo Olympics held weeks earlier than. There are additionally the Russia-China Youth Games, a junior occasion which Matytsin reportedly urged in December could possibly be expanded to incorporate different SCO international locations.