An international beach soccer tournament is planned to be held in Vitebsk during the "Slavianski Bazaar" festival.

August 20, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA /. The international beach soccer tournament "Friendship Cup" is planned to be made traditional and held during the "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" festival. Gennady Nevglas, Chairman of the Belarusian Football Federation Association, told reporters this, answering a question from a BELTA correspondent. Today, he took part in the opening of the first international beach soccer tournament in Belarus in Vitebsk. The idea of building a specialized beach soccer stadium and holding an international tournament arose this year. When discussing possible venues for organizing competitions of this level, preference was given to Vitebsk, primarily because it was the city on the Dvina that became a pioneer in cultivating beach soccer, noted the head of the ABFF. Initially, it was planned to hold the first "Friendship Cup" draw during the "Slavianski Bazaar", but the calendar of the International Beach Soccer Federation did not allow the tournament to be organized in July. "Today, the association is holding negotiations, and we hope to organize the tournament during the arts festival next year and invite more teams," Gennady Nevglas emphasized. This will allow guests to get acquainted with the development of beach soccer in Belarus and at the same time learn more about the country and its culture, he added. The beach soccer stadium in Vitebsk allows competitions to be held at the highest level, noted Gennady Nevglas. In the near future, similar facilities will appear in Mozyr and Gomel. "Of course, we are still very young in beach soccer, this sport began to develop just over two years ago when the beach soccer federation was created, but our team already has successes, and we hope that there will be progress," said the head of the association. The development of this sport provides an opportunity for not only professional athletes who have left big football for various reasons to prove themselves, but also for all residents of the country without exception to engage in it, he added. Teams from Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, and the Kaliningrad region (Russia) gathered for the "Friendship Cup" draw in the regional center. Initially, the participants were divided into two groups. Based on the results of the group stage, a pair of finalists will be determined, which will include the group winners. The third place will be contested by the teams that took second place in the groups. The winners and prize-winners will be awarded cups and medals, and the best players in their respective roles will also be awarded commemorative prizes. The beach soccer stadium with 450 seats is located in a well-equipped recreation area in the floodplain of the Vitba River in the central part of the city. Over Br1 billion was allocated for its construction. The Belarusian Football Federation provided significant assistance to the city in the construction of the facility. The international tournament became a kind of presentation of the new sports facility. The stadium is part of a complex of sports facilities created in the recreation area on the Vitba River. It also houses an artificial turf mini-football field, beach volleyball courts, basketball courts, and a tennis court. A ski and roller ski track over 3 km long is being laid along the bank of the Vitba River.