MINSK, 24 September (BelTA) – Belarus is going to field one of its best ever teams in the 3rd Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, chief of the Belarusian mission to the forthcoming games Dmitry Dovgalenok told a press conference on 24 September, BelTA has learned.
Dmitry Dovgalenok introduced athletes and coaches who will take part in the forthcoming Olympics. “Many of the guys competed in the European Youth Olympic Festival in Gyor, Hungary in July 2017. They have experience of taking part in adult sport competitions, and are medalists of big tournaments. I am confident that we will make our fans happy with our performance in Buenos Aires. The organizers of the Youth Olympics are set to show that sport is beautiful and that it can unite people from different countries,” he said.
Belarus will send 37 young Belarusian athletes who will compete in 16 sports at the Youth Olympic Games in October 2018.
The official farewell ceremony will take place on 3 October. The flight from Minsk to Buenos Aires will last over 13 hours. “We have gained some experience of such long journeys. The team will be accompanied by an experienced medical team who worked in Rio. All participants received memos how to cope best with such flight. Weather in Buenos Aires in October will be comfortable for competitions. Temperatures will range from +10°C to +20°C . The summer gear for athletes and coaches will be supplemented with warm vests and jackets,” Vasily Yurchik noted.
Belarus Ambassador at the Youth Olympics in Argentina Anastasia Lesik spoke about the cultural and educational program of the games. The main goal is to establish communication between the young athletes from all over the world. In Buenos Aires the young athletes will meet with their sport idols who will share their experience in training.
The Belarusian team won 9 medals (5 gold and 4 silver) at the 2nd Youth Olympic Games in China's Nanjing. The now famous athletes Krystina Staraselets (in Junior Women's Single Sculls) and Elvira German (in 100m hurdles) were among the medal winners in 2014. The team placed 15th on the unofficial team standings.
Buenos Aires will host the 3rd Summer Youth Olympic Games on 6-18 October. Some 3,998 sportsmen from 206 countries will compete in 32 sports during 12 competition days. The program will include 241 medal events. Dmitry Dovgalenok will be the chief of the Belarusian mission.
