MINSK, 31 March (BelTA) – Almost all the Belarusian athletes have returned home from overseas training camps, spokesman for the Belarusian Sport and Tourism Ministry Vladimir Nesterovich told BelTA.
A week ago, there were about 100 Belarusian athletes at training camps in different parts of the world. On 30 March, 16 athletes returned from Russia. 13 more will come home on 31 March. After that only seven athletes will be staying outside Belarus, said the spokesman. According to him, six athletes are on a planned vacation in Russia, and one more is studying in the United States. All those arriving in Belarus from abroad are checked for coronavirus infection and sent into a two-week quarantine.
Four bases have already been identified to welcome sport delegations who are subject to a compulsory 14-day isolation. Visits to overseas training camps and competitions are temporarily banned, Vladimir Nesterovich said. He also stressed that Belarus has all necessary conditions and sport infrastructure for athletes to have a high-quality training process, so there will be no problems with the preparation for competitions. Due to the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games to 2021, Belarusian athletes have to adjust training models and plans. All other countries are in the same situation today, said the representative of the Belarusian Sport and Tourism Ministry.
As for today, 72 Belarusian athletes competing in 15 sports have qualified for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. The Olympic qualifying tournaments have been suspended in the light of the COVID-19 spread.
As for the sport competitions in Belarus, the country's national football and ice hockey championships are proceeding as scheduled. Handball matches are held without fans, Vladimir Nesterovich said.
