The Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Mumbai together with the Russian Bank VEB.RF (earlier called the Vnesheconombank) and the Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) organized the fifth Under-16 mini football tournament under the auspices of the BRICS.
Five teams of Indian school children, symbolically representing the five BRICS nations, played in the tournament held at Priyadarshini Park at Malabar Hill, Mumbai. The players were honoured with trophies by the chief guest of the event, Mr. David Rasquinha, Managing Director of Exim Bank, which is India’s nodal agency under the BRICS interbank cooperation mechanism. Mr. Alexei V. Surovtsev, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Mumbai congratulated all the players and said that the tournament gives a fillip to the prevalent goodwill between the BRICS nations.
“BRICS countries and their development banks work together on a range of issues, both bilateral and under the BRICS interbank mechanism. Sporting activities like this bolster the overall engagement between the institutions which cooperate under the BRICS mechanism,” said Mr. Rasquinha.
Representatives from the consulates of China, Brazil and South Africa were also present at the tournament.
The idea to organize the mini football tournament under the BRICS umbrella, originated in 2015 as the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi had proposed setting up a BRICS sports council and holding annual football tournaments at the BRICS Summit in Ufa, Russia.
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