13 athletes from the Vitebsk region are vying for participation in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver

December 4, Vitebsk / Sergei Kotovets - BELTA /. Thirteen athletes from the Vitebsk region in 7 sports are candidates for participation in the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. This was announced today by the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Alexander Kosinets, at a republican seminar of the National Olympic Committee of Belarus, which is being held in Vitebsk, according to a BELTA correspondent. Another 31 representatives of the region are vying for participation in the XX Summer Olympics in London in 2012. And this list may grow, he added. According to Alexander Kosinets, the region pays close attention to the development of elite sports, and the region has the necessary potential in all areas of training high-level professionals. Over the past decade, modern sports facilities have been opened in Vitebsk, Orsha, and the Vitebsk region. This year, the foundation of an ice palace was laid in Orsha, and similar sports facilities will appear in Glubokoye, Lepel, and Novolukoml. In addition, in the future, issues of developing sports facilities in Novopolotsk, building a rowing canal in Polotsk, and an athletics and football arena in the regional center will be addressed. Thus, the region intends to eliminate the lag from other regions in the material and technical equipment of physical culture and sports activities and create decent conditions for training high-level athletes. Today, more than 60 youth sports schools, two Olympic reserve schools, and an Olympic training center operate in the region, with more than 23.5 thousand young promising athletes. 611 representatives from Vitebsk region are included in the national teams in various sports. The professionalism of coaching staff is confirmed by the fact that out of more than 1.1 thousand sports school teachers, over 300 people hold the titles of "Honored Master of Sports," "Master of Sports of International Class," and "Master of Sports of the Republic of Belarus." In the near future, the region intends to revive good traditions in gymnastics, athletics, boxing, and a number of other sports, and athletes from Vitebsk region will always worthily represent the country at the highest international competitions, the chairman of the regional executive committee added. -0-