Armenia to host CIS Games in 2029 as Yerevan becomes CIS Sports Capital

Armenia will host the CIS Games in 2029, while Yerevan will be granted the status of CIS Sports Capital. The decision was made on September 27 during a meeting of the CIS Council for Physical Culture and Sports in Almaty.

Armenia was represented at the meeting by Artur Sedrakyan, head of the Policy Development and Analysis Department within the Sports Policy Division of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports. Representatives of nine countries took part in the event: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Another meeting of the CIS Council for Physical Culture and Sports is also planned to be held in Armenia as part of the 2029 Games. The event is aimed at strengthening sporting ties between participating countries, developing physical culture and sports, and promoting a wide range of disciplines.

As a result, 2029 is set to become another busy year for Armenia in terms of major international sporting events. In addition to the CIS Games, Armenia is due to co-host the FIFA U-20 World Cup with Georgia.

A major sporting calendar is also expected earlier. Yerevan will host the Francophonie Games in 2027, while Armenia is also preparing to stage the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships and the World Weightlifting Championships.

An Armenian city has previously held the CIS Sports Capital status. Gyumri was awarded the title in 2024 and also hosted an event of the CIS Council for Physical Culture and Sports.

Sports featured at the CIS Games

The previous CIS Games were held in Azerbaijan in 2025. The competition programme featured 19 sports and 23 disciplines, including:

• rowing;
• badminton;
• 3x3 basketball;
• boxing;
• wrestling — men's freestyle, women's freestyle and Greco-Roman;
• karate;
• swimming;
• volleyball;
• canoe sprint;
• artistic gymnastics;
• trampoline gymnastics;
• rhythmic gymnastics;
• judo;
• table tennis;
• sambo;
• shooting — rifle/pistol and shotgun;
• archery;
• taekwondo;
• fencing;
• football;
• chovgan.

Armenia did not participate in the 2025 CIS Games.

The full programme of the 2029 CIS Games in Armenia, the number of participants and the host cities for individual sports will be announced at a later date.