Minister of Sport and Tourism of Belarus: “Vitebsk region must regain its status as a Belarusian forge of skiers and biathletes”
— Belarus needs to create the most favorable conditions for the development of mass sports, — said Sergey Mikhailovich. — Emerging problems must be solved from the very bottom, from schools and youth sports schools. The state invests significant funds in the industry, but the expected result is not achieved. It is necessary to find the reasons for this and correct the situation, build a clear management system, and offer people optimal conditions for physical activity.
The study of problems began with the Vitebsk region not by chance: the region has something to be proud of. For example, in 2017, our fellow countrymen Vladislav Goncharov and Oleg Ryabtsev became world champions in trampoline gymnastics, Maxim Nedasekov won the European Junior Athletics Championships, and Anna Maksimova and Ali Radwan became bronze medalists of the Old World competitions in triathlon and taekwondo, respectively.
The head coach of the national trampoline team Olga Vlasova and a student of the regional trade union sports school for children and youth in athletics Violetta Skvortsova were awarded the President of the Republic of Belarus Prize "Belarusian Sports Olympus".
Biathlete Irina Krivko and judoka Daniel Mukete were awarded the honorary title "Person of the Year of the Vitebsk Region". At the same time, there are negative aspects.
— The region has traditionally shown good results in skiing. Today, this is not the case. Cross-country skiing is at a low level here, as is men's biathlon. The situation in women's biathlon is more favorable, but what reserve do we have, who will we look up to in the future? — asked Sergey Kovalchuk. — My task is not to criticize, but together with local specialists to find the reasons for the current situation, adjust and build work in such a way that there is a result.
There must be a clear system for identifying and training sports talents in the country, starting from school.
— Vitebsk region will be at the forefront of changes, will become a platform where we will test new approaches in the development of the industry and will work for the future, for the upcoming Beijing Olympics, so that in four years we can perform with dignity there, — said Sergey Mikhailovich. — I am counting on the fruitful work of specialists. I also managed to secure the support of the Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee, Nikolai Sherstnev. He is an athlete at heart, so he understands the existing problems. One of them is the lack of specialists in district centers who should be involved in sports issues, accumulate ideas and put forward initiatives.
After the event, Sergey Kovalchuk visited a number of sports facilities in the region.