GRODNO DISTRICT, 19 October (BelTA) - Development of children's and youth sport was on the agenda of the Belarusian president's visit to Grodno, BelTA has learned.
The head of state visited the sports complex Pyshki where he inspected the air-supported indoor ice rink of HC Neman and the air-supported indoor football facility of FC Neman. The president talked to executives of the sports institutions and to young athletes, inquired about their problems.
Alexander Lukashenko noted that consideration should be given to the measures to reward coaches, including those of small children's hockey and football teams, for training good players. The matter is not only about rewarding coaches for podium places at sporting events but also for training good athletes who then compete for national teams.
The practice of setting up such air-inflated ice rinks in regional centers and large cities may be replicated throughout the country. Such structures create additional training conditions for students of children's and youth sport schools.
Alexander Lukashenko asked young athletes about the reasons why Belarusian athletes perform poorly sometimes. “I believe that once on ice or on the football pitch, athletes must perform to the top of their abilities,” the head of state said.
He expressed the confidence that the best students will defend the honor of the country at the most prestigious international competitions.
Ice hockey is actively developed in Grodno and Lida. The children's and youth sport Olympic school of HC Neman and the youth ice hockey school in Lida are designed to train the country's sport talent pool. There are also three rinks in Grodno and Lida. HC Neman has been playing in the extra league of the Belarusian Ice Hockey Championship since 1993.
As for football development in the region, students of the youth sport school are then enrolled in the Grodno Oblast team and FC Neman. A lot of professional footballers have been trained at the Grodno youth sport school.
