Degtyarev proposed that Russia host the SCO Summer Games in 2026

Summer Games of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries in 2026 may be held in Russia. This was announced by the head of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation Mikhail Degtyarev on January 23.

"We proposed Russia, and everyone happily agreed. In Russia, only Moscow and St. Petersburg can host such games with such a number of participants," he said at a press conference in TASS.

The sports minister added that several other cities are "under an asterisk" on the issue of participation.

Degtyarev specified that 21 sports may be included in the program of the games. He added that a meeting of senior SCO sports officials will be held in China this year to review the details of the event.

Earlier, January 5, head of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Luke Tardif called very important the early return to the official hockey tournaments of the national teams of Russia and Belarus. According to him, the Federation will assess the possibility of the return of the national teams in the next two months.

Before that, December 20, it became known that the International Skating Union (ISU) allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in qualifying for the Olympic Games 2026 in Italy in a neutral status. It was specified that the decision applies to competitions in speed skating, figure skating and short track speed skating. At the same time, Russian figure skaters will not be allowed to participate in the team tournament.

Commenting on this, Degtyarev said that such a decision is a significant breakthrough, bringing closer to a full return to the international sports arena. He added that even such admission is much better than complete isolation of athletes, noting that work to return Russian athletes to the international arena will continue.