DUSHANBE, July 3, 2008, Asia-Plus -- Two Tajik judo players are participating in The Children of Asia International Sports Games that started in Yakutia, Russia on July 3.  

According to the Committee for Youth, Sports and Tourism Affairs, Vice-President of Tajikistan’s Free-style Wrestling Federation, Rustam Murodov, is currently there as representative of the Committee.

The source at the committee said that Tajikistan had not been able to send more athletes to the Children of Asia Games as Tajik athletes are currently being trained for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.  “That is why only two athletes have been sent to participate in the 2008 Children of Asia Games,” the source said.  

In the meantime, athletes from Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Indonesia, Yemen, and Iran are also participating in Children of Asia Gamesl.    

 In all, the Games has brought together more than 2,000 athletes from 18 foreign countries and 26 regions of the Russian Federation.   

The Children of Asia International Sports Games or Children of Asia Games are an international multi-sport event held every four years under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) covered the whole Asian continent. 

The Children of Asia International Sports Games are held with the aim of propagandizing the ideas of the Olympic movement, development of youth sports and strengthening international sports cooperation.  

The first edition of Children of Asia Games was held in 1996. The idea of these Games belongs to Mr. Mikhail Nikolayev, the former President of Russia’s Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).