31 August (BelTA) – Every third Belarusian athlete made it into the top eight at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. It is a good result, First Deputy Sport and Tourism Minister, head of the Belarusian delegation at the Olympic Summer Games Alexander Gagiyev told media at BelTA's press center on 30 August.
All the Belarusian athletes showed their best and fought to the end. Wrestlers performed especially well. Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers took medals which the country missed in London (placing fifth in a number of wrestling competitions there). I would like to note that 25 Belarusian athletes ranked 4th-8th in Rio. This is a good result. Almost every third athlete from Belarus placed in the top eight at the 2016 Games,” noted Alexander Gagiyev.
The First Deputy Minister also spoke about the Belarusian women's basketball team. “In my opinion, the girls did a good job. Being part of the Olympics means being one of the world's best 12 teams. It is a great achievement,” said Alexander Gagiyev.
In his words, not all the athletes met the country's expectations. “We hoped for a better performance in swimming. Leaders of Belarus men's swimming team did not show even their season's best time. We expected better results from our track and field athletes who reached the finals. Next week the National Olympic Committee will hold a meeting to summarize the results,” Alexander Gagiyev said.
