The final of the IX inter-branch Spartakiad of the region's trade unions, dedicated to the 71st anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War and the Year of Culture, was held in Luzhesno.
The competitions were organized by the Vitebsk Regional Association of Trade Unions, the regional sports club of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus, and the Department of Sports and Tourism of the regional executive committee. The competitions were held at the stadium of the agricultural college of the Vitebsk Academy of Veterinary Medicine and in the sports complex of the Vitebsk Cadet School.
At the opening ceremony, the column of amateur athletes was led by boxer Viktor Zuev, weightlifters Anastasia Mikhalenko and Tatyana Stukalova – renowned representatives of Vitebsk region at the Olympic Games of different years. Welcoming the participants of the Spartakiad, honorary guests and spectators,Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Association of Trade Unions Ivan Vozmitel noted that in recent years there has been a tangible renewal of sports facilities, construction and reconstruction of trade union tourist bases. This contributes to meaningful recreation and health improvement.Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies Vladimir Terentyev praised the great work done by the most powerful public organization – the trade unions – in promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Teams from 16 industry trade unions – about 400 people – competed in 11 sports, which is 4 more than last year. Students from 13 trade union sports schools in the region, where about 5,000 children are trained in total, also demonstrated their achievements. By the way, 24 scholarships have been established by industry trade unions to support promising young athletes. Participant of the Rio de Janeiro Games in marathon running Marina
Domantsevich (trade union sports school "Naftan") is among such scholarship holders.
The winners in the team competition were employees of "Vitebskoblgaz" (as in the previous sports event), with representatives of healthcare and education taking 2nd and 3rd places, respectively. As for individual sports, medics were unmatched in the all-around and tug-of-war, fans of local industry and utility enterprises excelled in mini-football, and bank employees were the best in basketball throws. They were awarded cups, medals, and diplomas. The best athletes will perform at the republican inter-branch trade union sports event, which is planned for September in Mogilev. At the previous event, the Vitebsk region team took 2nd place.
Galina Shpakovskaya. Photos by Anton Stepanishchev. "Vitebskiye Vesti".
