MINSK, 22 May (BelTA) - The European Olympic Committees held their second Executive Committee meeting of the year in F.Y. Republic of Macedonia and approved the schedule of the 2019 Minsk European Games, according to the website of the Belarusian National Olympic Committee, BelTA learned.
The EOC Executive Committee approved that the opening ceremony will be held at Minsk Dinamo Stadium on 20 June. The competitions will take place from 21 to 30 June 2019.
In addition to the closing and opening ceremonies, the Dinamo stadium will also host the athletics events. Members of the EOC Executive Committee confirmed the inclusion of athletics into the program of the European Games.
Minsk Arena, Minsk's largest indoor sports facility, will be the venue of artistic and rhythmic gymnastics events, acrobatics and trampoline tournaments.
Track cycling and badminton tournaments will be held at the Minsk Arena velodrome. The warm-up area will be organized at the the skating stadium. The European Games program also includes road cycling events (along the roads of Minsk), but there will be no BMX competitions which were part of the sports program of the Baku European Games.
Chizhovka Arena will host wrestling (freestyle, Greco-Roman, women's) and sambo competitions. Boxers will compete for medals at the Uruchye Sports Center.
The Minsk Palace of Sports will host karate and judo tournaments while Palova Arena near the Minsk Palace of Sports will be the venue for the 3x3 basketball competitions. The beach soccer and beach volleyball tournaments will be held at the Olympiysky Stadium.
The kayak and canoe competitions will take place at the rowing canal in Zaslavl. The Sporting Club will host the shooting tournament. Archers will compete at the stadium of FC Minsk. Falcon Club will be the venue for the table tennis tournament.
The EOC Executive Committee decided at the meeting in Skopje that 11 out of 16 sports will be qualifiers for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. The exclusion will be gymnastics and wrestling (these sports have separate Olympic qualifiers), and also 3x3 basketball, sambo and beach soccer (not part of the Olympic program).
Athletes will be accommodated in the student village in Dzerzhinsky Prospekt. It is expected that 4,000 athletes and 2,000 officials will attend the 2019 Minsk European Games.
