The expensive sports complex in Orsha is used at only 30% of its capacity

October 22, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The department of physical culture, sports and tourism of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee notes the inefficient use of expensive sports facilities commissioned in the cities and districts of the region in 2008-2009. This was announced today at a meeting of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee by the head of the department, Mikhail Portnoy. In 2008, a stadium with a complex of grounds for volleyball, football, tennis, and a health and fitness complex with a swimming pool, gym, and sports hall were commissioned in Orsha. During the inspection, it was found that the utilization of these facilities does not exceed 30%, and the swimming pool, designed for groups with a total of 300 participants, is visited by only 40 people. A similar situation is observed in the gym, where 4-8 people train instead of 50. The sports complex commissioned in 2009 in the village of Luzhesno, Vitebsk district, also operates inefficiently. The sports and fitness halls are not used for paid services, and the swimming pool's operating hours are limited to three hours once a week. This is despite the fact that over 3,000 people live in the village of Luzhesno, located 5 km from Vitebsk. According to Mikhail Portnoy, this situation arises due to the lack of advertising for the services provided and a weak study of the population's needs. In Orsha itself, services such as Pilates and aqua aerobics, which are currently popular, are unavailable. In the village of Luzhesno, specialists from the department found only one advertisement for the sports complex's operation. According to the department, in the Vitebsk region, for January-August, the growth rate of physical culture and sports services was 102.2% at comparable prices, which corresponds to Br5.6 billion. The planned targets were not met by Br0.9 billion. In the total volume of paid physical culture and sports services provided in the region, Vitebsk accounts for the largest share - 50%, followed by Novopolotsk and Polotsk (their share is 29% and 11% respectively). Orsha accounts for 5%, and all districts of the region account for the same amount. -0-