LIDA, 15 May (BelTA) - Lida was the first city to host a marathon Vytoki festival. The sports platform Vytoki. A Step Toward Olympus opened in the town on 15 May, BelTA has learned.
The main objectives of the project are to create a common social and educational space, bring together people of different interests and ages, promote regional and national brands, and celebrate achievements in sport, science and art. The program includes a great mix of sport, cultural, family, artistic and thematic events. For example, the Vytoki. A Step Toward Olympus platform ran more than 20 sites dedicated to various sports.
"2021 has been declared the Year of People's Unity. This year we also celebrate the 30th anniversary of the National Olympic Committee. This is why we decided to hold this festival in small towns. We seek to showcase not only sport and culture achievements but also to celebrate regional diversity. The main goal of the festival is to bring people together. This is primarily a family holiday. We would like parents and children to learn more about sports here, at sports grounds rather than on TV," said Dmitry Dovgalenok, Vice President of the National Olympic Committee.
The youngest participants of the festival took part in an Olympic quest. They were to perform a task at each of the 15 quest sites. For example, at the sprint canoe site they were supposed to row 100m or 200m using a simulator. At another venue they had a chance to attend a master class by world champion in kettlebell lifting and the Guinness Book of Records record holder Evgeny Nazarevich. Guests of the site could also test themselves and lift weights.
At the athletics site children tried their hand at hurdles, answered questions of a quiz. One of the tasks was to snatch a selfie with Olympic high jump champion Hennadiy Avdyeyenko. At the locations of game sports - handball, basketball, volleyball – children showed their skills of ball possession, accuracy in throwing and show their wits by answering funny questions. The participants were awarded prizes at the end of the quest.
"It's a great start. I am sure that this festival will help us draw more children to sports schools and simply increase the number of supporters of a healthy lifestyle," Andrey Barbashinsky, Olympic handball champion, a native of Grodno Oblast, said during the opening of the festival.
The program of the festival is not only about sport. The day before, Lida hosted presentations of contemporary Belarusian art, educational programs and seminars. One of them, for example, highlighted domestic tourism and the potential of the region in this regard, ways to promote innovative national and regional brands. local brands took center stage at ane of the festival sites in Lida.
The cultural program of the Vytoki festival includes concerts, vocal competitions, workshops and even a dance battle.
The festival hosts food courts, family recreation areas and fairs. The festival will wrap up an evening concert featuring Belarusian pop stars.
The Vytoki sport and cultural festival will span six cities of Belarus in 2021. In addition to Lida, it will be hosted by Orsha (3-5 June), Kobrin (10-12 June), Mozyr (24-26 June), Bobruisk (15-17 July), Zhodino (5-7 August).
Vytoki is a Belarusian brand, a symbol that reflects the idea of the festival movement: popularize national culture, sport, history, traditions and to provide support to small towns.
The organizers of the Vytoki festival are the National Olympic Committee of Belarus, the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus, the Arthaos and BelBrandAudit companies.
