World’s biggest phygital sporting event, the Games of the Future 2026, has officially begun in Astana, Kazakhstan, running from 29 July to 9 August.
The tournament has brought together more than 800 participants representing more than 50 nationalities across eight disciplines: phygital football, phygital basketball, phygital shooter, phygital dancing, MOBA PC, MOBA Mobile, phygital fighting and battle royale.
“The main mission of the Games of the Future is to truly unite people and inspire them toward new achievements. I am sure that the Games of the Future will become another golden bridge of unity, friendship and solidarity among our countries,” President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at the opening ceremony.
Held at the Barys Arena, the ceremony celebrated Kazakhstan’s rich heritage and vision for the future by combining cultural performances with immersive technology and world-class production.
International government delegations, ministers, leaders from the worlds of sport, technology and innovation, as well as partners of the global phygital movement, attended the ceremony, reflecting the Games’ growing international profile at the intersection of sport, technology and culture.
The Games of the Future 2025, held in Abu Dhabi, generated more than 461 million broadcast views and reached an estimated 137 million unique viewers worldwide, highlighting growing international interest in phygital sport.
Unlike a conventional multi-sport event, the Games of the Future combine digital and physical competition within the same competitive format.
In phygital disciplines, athletes begin by competing in a video game before moving to a related physical contest. The results from both stages contribute to the final score, allowing teams that perform less strongly in one stage to recover in the other. The format requires competitors to adapt to different rules, skills and tactics within a single match.
As a result, experience in traditional sport alone is not enough. Athletes must be equally prepared for both physical competition and gaming, with high-level performance required in each.
“Together, they will showcase a new era of sport - one that brings together physical excellence, digital competition and technological innovation on a truly global stage,” said Daniel Merkley, Phygital International CEO.
Read more
Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the U.S. must ...
Uzbekistan has secured preferential tariffs for fertiliser and petroleum product shipments through Kazakhstan’s Kuryk port to Georgian ports, as Uzb...
Police in eastern India used tear gas, batons and water cannon on Monday to disperse thousands of young protesters marching on the Jharkhand state leg...
An agreement between Iran and the U.S. to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is expected "soon," a U.S. official has said. The deal would result in the resumption of commercial shipping through the sea passage and the lifting of an American naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Flights arriving at Catania airport in eastern Sicily were suspended after volcanic ash from a new eruption of Mount Etna drifted into the airspace around the airport, disrupting operations at one of Italy’s busiest aviation hubs.
A deal on a new route for vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is "very close," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, while warning that the reopening of the waterway depends on the U.S. meeting other conditions, including paying compensation to Iran.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 9th of August, covering the latest developments.
Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the U.S. must meet other conditions.
Parts of Europe and the Arctic will briefly fall into darkness on Wednesday, 12 August, as the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun in a total solar eclipse.
Meta said one of its AI models hacked another company's systems during cybersecurity testing, intensifying concerns about how developers can contain increasingly capable AI systems following similar incidents involving Anthropic and OpenAI.
Scientists say the accidental crash of a discarded SpaceX rocket stage into the moon has provided valuable data on impact cratering while posing no threat to Earth or lunar hardware.
AI agents developed by Anthropic and OpenAI carried out unauthorised online actions during cybersecurity tests, including creating fake identities to deceive real people and attempting to plant malicious code, the U.K.'s AI Security Institute (AISI) said on Tuesday (5 August).
SpaceX has reported a sharp rise in quarterly revenue, fuelled by strong demand for its Starlink satellite internet service and rapid growth in its artificial intelligence (AI) business.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment