What a week of sports and cultural events in BRICS+ tells business about soft power and new markets?

The trigger for this discussion is a series of events at the intersection of sports and culture. Ulyanovsk's Artur Khakimov won gold in Koresh (up to 75 kg) at the II World Games of National Martial Arts, which are taking place from Oct. 5 to 12 in Novocheboksarsk and have gathered about 6,000 participants from 39 countries, as"Kommersant Samara" reports. In parallel, the army team CSKA is heading to the CISM World Military Boxing Championship, which will be hosted by Rio de Janeiro from Oct. 14 to 19. This follows last year's successful performance by the Russians in Brazil, according to Karate.ru.

What do recent sports results and the BRICS+ calendar reveal about Russia's soft power approach?

They demonstrate a stable connection between "mass international events in Russia + away competitions in BRICS countries" and personal stories of rising athletes from the regions. This creates a continuous funnel of attention—from local martial arts and tennis schools to venues in Brazil and Kazakhstan.

On the home front, Khakimov—a 22-year-old master of sports of international class, two-time world champion, and winner of the BRICS-2024 Games—strengthens the national wrestling styles agenda; his coach, Artyom Filatov, emphasized the continuity of the Ulyanovsk school. In Brazil, CSKA fields a team in 10 out of 13 weight categories; in 2024, the team won 12 medals, including four golds, thus supporting sports ties in the South American BRICS direction.

In the personal segment, 21-year-old Ilya Simakin (ATP No. 256) debuted at the ATP level in Almaty: in a marathon qualifying match, he saved match points but lost to France's Hugo Blanche in 2 hours and 48 minutes, as he detailed in an interview with "Championat." Last season's BRICS Games, the Universiade in Germany, and training in Kazan are a typical development path for a young athlete from a region.

"Now our common goal is to get into the top 100."

Why is the boom in padel and pickleball important for BRICS+ sports infrastructure?

The key factor is low entry barriers: courts are smaller, cheaper to build, and physical demands are lower. This market attracts media stars and investors. This demand profile "connects" these disciplines with BRICS+ urban agglomerations that require accessible infrastructure. "Sport-Express" explains this in detail.

Demand is fueled by ambassadors and capital: Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Maria Sharapova, and John McEnroe play and invest; Frances Tiafoe acquired a stake in a padel team; Cristiano Ronaldo invested €5 million in courts in Portugal; Rafael Nadal's academy has a padel school. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic has already voiced concerns that without reciprocal steps, tennis clubs might turn into padel and pickleball venues, as noted in a "Sport-Express" review.

What lessons for cultural policy emerge from the Kazan cases related to the BRICS agenda?

The Kazan ecosystem represents a continuous "ladder" of training: school education—college—conservatory, which celebrated its 80th anniversary of classes starting on Oct. 10. This stable talent pipeline regularly translates into federal and international successes, as reported by "BUSINESS Online."

A symbolic episode was the performance of 9-year-old violinist Luka Moromov for BRICS leaders at the summit in Kazan. Simultaneously, children's and youth ensembles win TV projects and presidential awards, while choirs and students are involved in the State Symphony Orchestra of Tatarstan programs. This highlights: systematic training and top-tier stages in one city allow for rapid alignment of cultural agendas with international formats.

Where are the tactical business opportunities on this agenda?

• Infrastructure: Padel/pickleball require smaller areas and are cheaper to build, facilitating project launches in shopping malls, apartment complexes, and corporate campuses. This directly follows from the comparison of court sizes and costs in the "Sport-Express" article.
• Events and tourism: Large multi-sport events involving dozens of countries (e.g., the World Games of Martial Arts with 6,000 participants from 39 countries) create opportunities for hotels, transportation, catering, and merchandise—the scale is confirmed by "Kommersant."
• Branding through national sports: Victories in Koresh and the status of prizewinners at the BRICS Games for CSKA boxers allow companies to build local campaigns based on traditional disciplines—this is evident from reports by "Kommersant" and Karate.ru.
• Regional talents as ambassadors: Ilya Simakin's path through the BRICS Games, Universiade, and ATP debut opens up opportunities for brands to engage in long-term sponsorship of regional athletes—confirmed by the interview with "Championat."
• Cultural collaborations: Kazan's talent development "ladder" and the regular participation of children's ensembles in federal projects create a stable platform for corporate CSR programs and educational initiatives—documented by "BUSINESS Online."

Overall, sports (from national martial arts to new racquet disciplines) and the cultural system (from children's schools to main stages) align into a single line: attention, traffic, infrastructure, and talent. For BRICS+ companies, this offers a ready-made map of entry points—from rapid infrastructure development in padel/pickleball to in-depth work with talents and local traditions, supported by concrete results and platforms in Russia and Brazil.