OREANDA-NEWS Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin has arrived in Venezuela, where the Games of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of America (ALBA) begin, the Russian embassy told RIA Novosti.

"Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin has arrived in Caracas on a visit. At the capital's Simon Bolivar airport, the Russian Minister was greeted by Vice President for Social and Territorial Policy of Venezuela, Minister of Youth and Sports Mervin Maldonado, Governor of the State of La Guaira, where the main part of the competition will take place, Alejandro Teran, Deputy Foreign Minister for Europe Franklin Ramirez and Russian Ambassador Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov," - said the press secretary of the Russian Embassy in Venezuela, Alina Ivanova.
Upon arrival in Caracas, a working meeting was held, during which the parties expressed "a mutual resolute attitude to the comprehensive development of sports ties and noted the unacceptability of politicization of international sports."

Sports Minister Matytsin, at a meeting with his Venezuelan colleagues, wished the organizers success in hosting the Sports Games of the ALBA countries. The competitions will be held from April 21 to 29 in Caracas and La Guaira. The Russian national team included 48 athletes to participate in the Games. They will compete in seven sports: boxing, beach volleyball, karate, table tennis, trampolining, weightlifting, rhythmic gymnastics.
In Venezuela, the Russian national team will perform under the national flag for the first time after the start of an aggressive Western campaign to "cancel" Russian sports. The chairman of the National Institute of Sports, Ninoska Klosier, yesterday called the right to raise the Russian tricolor an honor for the organizers of the games.