MINSK, 31 January (BelTA) – The government has done everything necessary for the preparations of Belarusian athletes for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, Belarus' Deputy Prime Minister Vasily Zharko said at a board meeting of the Belarusian Sports and Tourism Ministry on 31 January, BelTA has learned.
Now all decisions should be addressed promptly by the administrative group of the Belarusian delegation directly on site. All Belarusian sports fans hope for the successful performance of our team at the Olympics, said Vasily Zharko.
Speaking about the main tasks of the sports industry in 2018, the vice premier took note of the preparations for the 2019 European Games. Maximum efforts are needed for the successful implementation of the action plan on the organization of the forthcoming large-scale forum. Vasily Zharko said that last year there were some problems with the reconstruction of sports facilities, which are to host the European Games. It is necessary to organize high-level test competitions ahead of the European Games. The Sports Ministry needs to coordinate and supervise the work on all the facilities, regardless of their departmental subordination, Vasily Zharko stressed. The same is true about the training of Belarusian athletes for the upcoming competitions. The Sports Ministry needs to ensure strict control over the organization of the training process in close contact with scientific groups.
In 2018, Belarus is expected to host more than 70 major international tournaments, which need to be organized at a proper level. Among the major upcoming events of the year is a track and field match of the teams of Belarus, the Balkan countries and the Persian Gulf states. The event is scheduled to take place at the reconstructed Dinamo stadium in Minsk in June. In September 2019, the stadium will host another milestone sports event, a match between European and U.S. track and field athletes. It is also time to start preparing for the 2021 IIHF World Championship. Minsk hosted the IIHF World Championship in 2014. The sports forum in 2021 will be different, as Belarus will be co-hosting it with Latvia. Therefore, it is necessary to coordinate the work with the representatives of the Latvian side. All work on the organization of the competitions should be done in close cooperation with the sport federations, Vasily Zharko said.
