Indonesia and Saudi Arabia will participate in the International Army Games 2021 for the first time. The International Army Games is an annual Russian military sports event organized by the Ministry of Defense of Russia (MoD). The event, which was first staged in August 2015, involves close to 30 countries taking part in dozens of competitions over two weeks to prove which is the most skilled. The games have been referred to as the War Olympics.
As of June 1, 277 teams from over 40 countries have expressed their desire to participate in the International Army Games this year. The military competitions will run on the territory of several countries. Russia will host 16 contests while Belarus, China and Iran will hold 3 competitions each. Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia will host two competitions each while Algeria, Armenia, Serbia and Qatar will hold one competition each.
The preparations for the International Army Games have entered the final stage. On June 3, 2021, the final 3rd international planning conference was held at the Patriot Congress and Exhibition Center with the participation of representatives of the Games’ organizing states, and the military, and diplomatic corps. The International Army Games 2021 will take place on August 22 – September 4. In addition to the competition, the International Army Games includes a military theme park, a recruitment station, and souvenir shops.
