‍By CGTN's Wu Lei

The curtain was raised on the first ever BRICS Games at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center on Saturday evening. The Games is being held in China's southern city of Guangzhou until June 21, with almost 300 athletes from Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa and China competing. 

This BRICS Games comprises volleyball, basketball and martial arts, all of which have a considerable following in BRICS countries. Chinese female national volleyball player Chen Peiyan told CGTN that from cultures to tactics, the team has done its homework on each rival and will respect every competitor.

Indian national volleyball team coach Ajay Jangra told CGTN the BRICS Games is not only about sports, but also other cultural exchanges. So from that point of view, they are enjoying and exchanging views with other teams.

At the opening ceremony, the director of China's Sport Administration also read a congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping. President Xi believes that this BRICS Games will help improve athletes' skills, promote traditional sporting programs and strengthen the friendship among peoples from BRICS countries.

China serves as the rotating president of the BRICS group this year, with the Ninth BRICS summit to be held in September, in China's eastern city of Xiamen. Sports and games play a key role in enhancing cooperation and people-to-people exchanges. These athletes from the BRICS countries hope their performances in the competition over the next few days will help people better understand their homelands and cultures.