Putin attends opening ceremony of Russian esports featuring robot dogs and holograms

Russian president Putin attended the opening ceremony of Games of the Future, an experimental tournament ‘blending sports and esports‘ on February 21.

Countries like China, Italy, Spain and Australia are set to take part in the games, just days after the death of Putin’s critic Alexei Navalny, whose body has still not been released to him family.

The bizarre opening ceremony featured dancing robots and talking holograms, to embody the concept of what organisers call ‘phygital’ sports a combination of esports, physical activity and other nascent tech.

The new game event taking place in the city of Kazan, in Russia is scheduled to last until March 3, 2024, with a $10m (£7.94m) overall prize pool.