Twenty-two teams from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine will play in adult "Zarnitsa"-paintball in Vitebsk

August 13, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. 22 teams from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine will play in the adult "Zarnitsa" in Vitebsk. The IV stage of the international paintball rating series "Master League Belarus-2009" will be held in the regional center on August 15, Denis Kovalev, one of the stage organizers and head of the "Kelt" paintball club, told a BELTA correspondent. According to him, it is not about recreational (entertainment) paintball, but about sports paintball, a more spectacular and technical game that is played only in stadiums. Special inflatable structures, which are installed on the sports field, serve as peculiar defensive walls and tactical targets for players. The game format involves competition among teams of professionals, amateurs, and beginners. Youth activists from the Belarusian Republican Youth Union (BRSM) helped the organizers form the beginner teams. The essence of the competition is to eliminate as many opponents as possible within a certain time by hitting them with a capsule from a marker. In sports paintball, unlike recreational and tactical paintball, as soon as a participant gets a colored mark, they are considered eliminated from the game. Paintball players are equipped with special gear, which includes a suit, mask, and helmet. The cost of professional equipment and game weapons, according to Denis Kovalev, is about 3 thousand euros. Shooting at an opponent is done with capsules containing food dyes from special pneumatic weapons – markers. The rate of fire can sometimes reach 15 shots per second. Holding the stage of the international rating series in Vitebsk will contribute to the development of paintball in Belarus and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, the interlocutor is confident. Paintball is a team game and a technical sport. Moreover, no gender distinctions are made between players. According to Denis Kovalev, women play on equal terms with men in the same team. Among the participants of the IV stage will be the quite strong female team "Valkyries" from Russia, but no concessions in the game format and conditions are provided due to their participation. According to psychologists, paintball should primarily be recommended as a team game that develops tactical thinking. And medics have found that during the game, a large amount of adrenaline is produced in the human body, followed by the release of a biologically active substance in the brain – dopamine, which determines the ability to enjoy life. The body begins to produce the hormone serotonin, which regulates vascular tone. In combination, dopamine and serotonin stimulate the nervous system as relaxants-antidepressants. As expected, the final V stage of the rating series will also be held in Vitebsk, approximately in mid-September. The competitions are organized by the Vitebsk City Executive Committee, the Vitebsk City Organization of the BRSM, and the "Kelt" paintball club. -0-