MINSK, 3 April (BelTA) – All the guests of the 2019 European Games will be granted with a visa-free entry to Belarus, Sports and Tourism Minister Alexander Shamko told a press conference hosted by BelTA on 3 April.
“As for the 2019 European Games, visa-free rules will be in force. Time will show what these rules will include,” Alexander Shamko noted.
In organizing the European Games, Belarus will use the experience gained during the 2014 IIHF World Championship in Minsk. “Such events are also an opportunity to show the country's tourism potential. Tourists attend sports events and also get familiar with the country,” the minister said.
Alexander Shamko stressed that Belarus has a well-developed system of hosting athletes and coaches who come to the country to take part in international competitions. “They enjoy a simplified procedure of getting a visa. They are exempted from paying visa issuance duties. A simplified procedure for issuing visas will also be applied during the European Games in 2019,” he said.
Belarus was chosen to host the Second European Games in 2019 after a vote at the 45th General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees in Minsk in October 2016. The First European Games were held in Azerbaijan in June 2015.
