GUANGZHOU, China, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The inaugural BRICS Games concluded in Guangzhou, China on Wednesday evening, attracting some 300 athletes from the five BRICS countries.
"Sports is an essential component of the people-to-people exchanges. Each of the BRICS countries has its distinct strength in sports activities and profound culture of traditional sports," said Song Luzeng, Secretary General of the Chinese Olympic Committee, "Sport, as an international language, will unite the youth together for the brighter future of BRICS countries."
Vice Governor of Guangdong Province Deng Haiguang announced the closing of the 2017 BRICS Games.
These athletes from all five BRICS member countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, gathered in Guangzhou for five days to compete in 10 events of three sports - men's basketball, women's volleyball and Wushu.
China, Russia and India shared the gold medals from eight Wushu events while Russia won both basketball and volleyball titles.
Both athletes and coaches also enjoyed a series of culture events arranged by the organizers, including a visit to the Guangzhou Wushu Training Center to experience Wing Chun and Tai Chi.
The 2017 BRICS Games marked an important consensus reached at the 8th BRICS Summit in Goa, India and also the first comprehensive multilateral sports and culture exchanges under the framework of BRICS cooperation.
In September, China will host the 9th BRICS Summit in the coastal city of Xiamen in Fujian Province.