MINSK, 16 June (BelTA) - Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to the large number of foreign players, including in HC Dinamo Minsk during a meeting to discuss the development of ice hockey in the country on 16 June, BelTA has learned.
“Where are our 23- to 25-year-olds? Zhenya [state coach of the national ice hockey team Yevgeny Vorsin], where are our people? Why is no one noticing that almost half the team is imported? Do you have extra money to pay Americans, Russians, and others? You don’t take into account that in Russian hockey, there is a limit of five foreign players, while we have no such limit. We have as many as 14 Russians and foreigners. So how are we supposed to develop our own hockey? How will the national team play later?” the head of state asked.
“I told you that we need our own, homegrown players,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said that he had asked one of the coaches about off-season training approaches, drawing a parallel with the methods of the legendary Soviet coach Anatoly Tarasov. The president asked why those methods are not used today.
“He frankly said: ‘Our players wouldn’t be able to handle it’,” the president recounted. “So why do we need such athletes and hockey players? Half the off-season has already passed, and you still have neither a team nor a coach. How are you going to prepare for the season? They need to be ready on the ‘ground’ for the season. And you are not ready. Some are in Türkiye, some in the Emirates, some elsewhere - just relaxing.”
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