Games of the Red Star
 | |
| Abbreviation | JER GRS |
|---|---|
| Motto | En avant jambes, en arrière jamais! Ever forwards, never backwards! |
| First event | 1954 |
| Occur every | 4 years |
| Last event | 1990 |
| Purpose | Interational sports festival |
The Games of the Red Star (Gaullican: Jeux de l'étoile rouge), or the GRS (JER) was a multinational sporting event organised by the Association of Emerging Socialist Sportsmen, an institution within the Association of Emerging Socialist Economies. First established in 1950, it held its first games in Sainte-Germaine, Rwizikuru in 1954.
History
With the establishment of the Association of Emerging Socialist Economies, it was suggested by (TBD) that the newly-established organization host an Invictus-style event for developing nations, with the aim of showcasing the sporting achievements of developing countries, while simultaneously promoting the newborn Association of Emerging Socialist Economies.
Thus, in 1950, it was decided the first edition of the games would be held in Sainte-Germaine in 1954, with 1950 being skipped as they did not have enough time to prepare for a 1950 edition of the Games of the Red Star, let alone select a host among the member states of the AESE.
Unlike the Invictus games, the Games of the Red Star were to have a political element, with debating to be considered a sport by the Association of Emerging Socialist Sportsmen, and topics to be primarily focused on anti-imperialism, socialist development, and human rights. As well, host nations were expected to adhere to the basic principles of the Association of Emerging Socialist Economies, while athletes were to be amateurs, as opposed to the "bourgeois professional athletes" who were perceived to be competing at the Invictus Games at the time.
While in 1954, X countries participated with X athletes, participation increased with each successive games, with Y countries participating in TBD in 1958 with Y athletes, and peaking in 1974 when at the sixth edition hosted in Porto Leste, Maracao, with Z countries and Z athletes participating in that edition.
However, from the 1970s onward, as the stature of the Association of Emerging Socialist Economies declined, the number of athletes and number of countries participating in the Games of the Red Star declined, and of those that continued participating, the caliber of the athletes also decreased substantially, with most of the best athletes from nations competing in the Invictus Games as opposed to the Games of the Red Star.
By the 1980s, with the rise of the Association for International Socialism and the continued decline of the Association of Emerging Socialist Economies, the Games of the Red Star became more and more irrelevant on the international stage: by 1986, only Q countries with Q athletes participated in TBD.
After the dissolution of the Association of Emerging Socialist Economies in 1988, preparation for the 1990 edition of the Games of the Red Star continued, albeit with a very limited budget. However, the organisers made clear that the 1990 games would be the final edition of the Games of the Red Star, as the Association of Emerging Socialist Sportsmen was a body dependent on the AESE to survive, and without funding from the AESE, it was no longer able to organise any further editions. At the 1990 games in TBC, only X countries participated, with only (less than 100) athletes.