"We are an association based in UAE, and we are working on many projects that bring together culture, art, music and sports," Valcke said.

The association's most visible event is the organisation of the World Friendship Games. In his speech, Valcke said that it is still unclear when the games would be held, in 2024 or 2025, as it is a decision that will be taken by the Russian authorities.
"But we are more than that. The purpose of the IFA is to bring people together."

"We are not politicians, I am not a politician. We are people who have worked in the world of sport all our lives. The IFA is about uniting people, uniting countries and giving our children a better world than the one we have today," Valcke said.

"The most important thing is that we don't do anything that contradicts what the world is about. The statutes of all international federations and national Olympic committees state that politics, religion and race should not be a reason to prevent athletes from competing. Sport is about uniting and bringing people together. That's what we want to do, to make sure that we create events that bring people together," concluded the IFA Secretary General.

He also talked about another major project of the IFA - discussions on the organisation of the BRICS Games in 2024, which will be held in Kazan. BRICS is a group of nine countries, and each country holding the presidency of BRICS is obliged to organise the BRICS Games.

"What Kazan is doing is an amazing job. They will deliver amazing games. The next BRICS Games will be held in Brazil in 2025. The discussions we are having with the BRICS countries, supported by Russia, is to create a system or structure so that the BRICS Games have the same format and have a unity that doesn't exist today," he said.

According to Tatarstan Sports Minister Vladimir Leonov, 3,482 athletes from 97 countries will take part in the BRICS Games, which will be held from 11 to 24 June 2024.

Valcke told Insidethegames that they don't want to change the idea of the BRICS Games, but they want to bring unity. 

"We came with the idea that there should be more unity in the structure of the organisation of the games. A year ago it was organised in one way, this year it will be organised in another way, which is maybe the maximum of the organisation.

"Maybe there is room to organise the BRICS Games with a minimum of co-sports, with recognition of each host country, with the addition of new sports, with control over the social side of it. That's what we are offering and we hope that it will be supported by other countries," Valcke said.

He also said that the IFA wants to bring together countries that have the same goal.

"We are not doing events related to any political situation. We do events to bring people together, to bring youth programmes, to create things that exist in this world. 

"The world is not just blocked and cannot decide that there is nothing else to organise. We thought that there was a space to express the idea of friendship, to create this bridge and this link between countries that want it," Valcke added.