Winter sports enthusiasts are actively training and competing on the roller ski track near Horadok
At the end of January, after returning from competitions in Switzerland, the condition and readiness of the track were assessed by the coach of the Vitebsk region cross-country skiing team, Yuri Abrosimov.
— The training base for regional and national teams in Gorodok has powerful snow generators, or snow cannons, they "shoot" at minimal sub-zero temperatures and can cover the entire track with snow in a day. This year, a new snow groomer — a machine for cutting ski tracks — was acquired. Even the current "zero" winter, as meteorologists have dubbed it, could not prevent training sessions from being held, — says Yuri Fedorovich.
One and a half kilometers of artificial snow were "shot" on the track in January, rain and positive temperatures have already "eaten" almost a kilometer, so athletes are currently training on five hundred meters of snow.
This year, representatives of military and law enforcement agencies have managed to hold competitions here: the Center for the Disposal of Ammunition and Air Attack Weapons, the Department of Security, and the Department of Internal Affairs of the Regional Executive Committee. Ski competitions of the Investigative Committee of the region and the law enforcement agencies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are planned.
The biathlon coach of the regional center for Olympic reserve in winter sports, Andrei Alikin, who is conducting training camps with the guys in "Vorobyovy Gory", notes:
— In mid-February, it is planned to hold the youth final stage of the Belarusian Biathlon Federation Cup at this sports facility, among participants born between 2000 and 2008. Our region's team has won these significant competitions for two consecutive years. A shooting range is equipped here, which meets international standards and rules. This year, additional target installations were purchased.
Vorobyevy Gory is a small "Finland" – this is how skiers enthusiastically call it, appreciating the natural beauty and the complexity of the track. Laid out in a forest area, winding through hills among trees, it allows athletes to practice top-level skills and get excellent conditioning. The unique natural terrain seems to be created for winter sports. In summer, the track allows for roller skiing training.
As Pavel Mezhyev, head of the training base for regional and national teams in Gorodok, told us, the length of its loops is 7.5 kilometers, 5 kilometers, 3 kilometers, 2.5 kilometers, and 1.5 kilometers, but thanks to a well-thought-out system of interchanges, the distance can be easily changed. The width of the track is 7 meters, which is the widest among the widths of Belarusian ski tracks. The number of ascents and descents varies on different distances, with the greatest height difference being 28 meters. Completing the track is a difficult challenge even for professionals, and it is no wonder that it received high praise from the International Biathlon Union, which recognized its European level.
Of course, much work remains to be done to bring the complex in Vorobyevy Gory into compliance with the rules of international sports federations. To obtain a license and host major world competitions in Gorodok, developed infrastructure is needed in addition to the roller ski track.
Although renowned athletes from neighboring countries have already positively assessed the conditions created here and are eager to train in the north of Belarus. Sometimes, it is even problematic to accommodate everyone who wishes to. Teams are accommodated in the "Sportivny Gorodok" hotel, near which a swimming pool has been built – athletes can use it for recovery and relaxation after training. Skiers and biathletes are also accommodated in the comfortable dormitory of the Gorodok State Agrarian-Technical College. Teams from St. Petersburg, Moscow, Murmansk, Novosibirsk, and even Kamchatka come for training camps, and the women's cross-country skiing team of Poland has trained here. The schedule of arrival and departure of athletes and the arrival of new groups is planned six months in advance.