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20 January 2018, 13:53

Raubichi ready for major biathlon tournaments

The National Olympic Center Raubichi has long been known as one of the most popular sports venues in Belarus. After major renovations that were completed in 2014, the center can now host competitions of the highest level. In February 2015 it played host to the IBU Youth/Junior World Championships. The International Biathlon Union (IBU) awarded Raubichi the right to host the Open European Championships in 2019, which, by the way, will be held in Belarus for the third time. The same year, Raubichi will be the venue for the the IBU Summer Biathlon World Championships. A BelTA correspondent visited Raubichi to see how prepared the center is for these two major international competitions.

The center was bustling with activity with trucks shuttling in and out. After quite a mild first half of the winter, the freezing weather finally arrived. The snow was re-distributed to create a snow pillow on the track. Raubichi is now busy preparing the ski tracks for the forthcoming event using snow groomers.

Deputy Director of the Raubichi center Leonid Karas assured the journalists that the center is ready for the tournament. “In a few days the center will be fully ready to host any international event of the highest level. Thanks to the major renovations and the experience that we gained during the IBU Youth/Junior World Championships in 2015, Raubichi is well-prepared in terms of infrastructure and experience. We have everything we need to organize tournaments fully compliant with the IBU requirements,” he noted.

Raubichi underwent major upgrade. Today the ski-roller track, the stadium, and the referees' pavilion meet the IBU requirements. For example, the width of the track has been increased from four to six meters. The stadium lighting has now four modes.

The fans had a chance to appreciate the convenience of new electronic scoreboards during the past tournaments: the IBU Youth/Junior World Championships and the International Festival “The Legends Race”. “The stands are designed for 2,500 spectators. If necessary we can will double the capacity, which will allow us to host even larger competitions such as the World Cup and World Championships,” Leonid Karas noted.

The shooting range has been expanded to 38 units. “We are ready to hold competitions and training sessions. Foreign athletes love to come to Raubichi. For example, famous cross country skier Justyna Kowalczyk from Poland came here for summer training. We have created all the conditions for the national biathlon team to practice here,” Leonid Karas said.

The center is fitted with wax cabins to prepare the skis of the future European Championships participants. “No matter how many biathletes arrive, every team will get a cabin,” Leonid Karas underlined.

The only thing that can get in the way is weather. “Supposing that next winter is as mild as this year's, it will be difficult to keep snow on tracks,” the deputy director added.

The construction of a snow storage and a snow tunnel in Raubichi is under consideration, he pointed out. These facilities could help the biathletes train during the summer period, too.

Raubichi also offers comfortable conditions for the media. After the renovation, the modern press center has hosted Belarusian and foreign journalists multiple times. The center features video equipment for online conferences with high-speed internet and Wi-Fi, two multimedia stands, interpretation booths, and a cafe.

The number of hotel rooms at the center has grown a great deal. According to the IBU requirements, there should be enough buildings with change rooms to host international competitions. Such buildings have already been constructed in Raubichi prior to the 2015 Youth/Junior World Championships.

Comfortable hotel rooms and local cuisines attract a fair amount of tourists to Raubichi. Always popular in winter, the center sees guests from the capital and other cities and countries. The local ice arena welcomes professional hockey players and hosts public ice skating sessions. Despite the fact that the center is primarily designed for winter Olympic training, it is in demand in summer, too. There are tennis courts, a basketball court, and an artificial football pitch. “We have purchased modern outdoor weight training machines for the upcoming spring/summer season. They will be popular among healthy lifestyle lovers,” Leonid Karas said.

The officials of the center believe that they can handle any high-level tournament and will be on par with such reputable biathlon centers as Ruhpolding, Hochfilzen, and Ostersund.

Alexander Novikov

Photos by Ramil Nasibulin, BelTA

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