About a quarter of the residents of the Vitebsk region regularly engage in physical culture and sports
— Last year, over 277,000 people led a sporty lifestyle. Thanks to this, the Vitebsk region fulfilled one of the main indicators of the State Program for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports for 2016-2020, — said Vasily Zakharevich. — For supporters of a healthy lifestyle, 52 regional sports and mass events were held, with about 10,600 people participating. The international ballroom dancing festival "Vitebsk Snowflake", the "Hmel Cup" mini-football tournament in Gorodok, the chess championship within the framework of "Slavianski Bazaar", and the extreme sports festival in Ushachi have become the region's calling card.
For children and adolescents, 23 physical culture, sports and recreation clubs and centers operate on a budget basis. In 545 groups, they can engage in various disciplines, including football, athletic gymnastics, volleyball, aerobics, sailing, skiing, and hockey.
The necessary infrastructure is being developed in the districts. For example, sports and recreation complexes with swimming pools have recently been commissioned in Liozno and Verkhnedvinsk, and a football field with a natural turf of the FC "Vitebsk" sports complex.
In 2018, revenues from extracurricular activities of sports institutions amounted to about 8.5 million rubles, or 110.2% of the plan.