The traditional Youth Day at the "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" this year is held under the motto "For the First Time!"
To begin with, the youth celebration lasts not one, as before, but two whole days. For the first time, the festive program included the youth intellectual open-air "Flowers of Great Victory," dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders. Young minds from all regions of Belarus, in 14 teams, engaged in intellectual battles, including "What? Where? When?" and "Own Game." The first day concluded with the sounds of the cover band festival.
Saturday, the main day, began more energetically. For the first time within the framework of this forum, a youth race was held. More than 150 people from all over the republic took part in it. The Vitebsk region was represented by young men and women from the regional center, Orsha, Gorodok, Tolochin, and Dubrovno.
The warm-up before the start at PSU named after P. Masherov was conducted by multiple Belarusian athletics champion and coach of the Vitebsk Olympic Reserve School, Sergey Kozlov.
– The declared distance of 2.5 kilometers can be overcome not only by professionals but also by novice athletes, even children. The main thing is to dose the load and pace, as well as to enjoy running, – emphasized the coach.
The youngest participant, Lera Grumandz, is only 10 years old. The young Vitebsk resident is involved in biathlon, and the declared distance is not insurmountable for her. However, considering that she had to run alongside adults, she planned to get into the top 70. Her father supported her on the course. Daniil also decided to run on the sunny Saturday morning with his daughter, as he is an athletic person himself – he works as a physical training instructor in the Oktyabrsky (Vitebsk) department of the Department of Protection of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus, is a master of sports in boxing and a candidate for master of sports in hand-to-hand combat. The family is participating in such a marathon for the first time and has achieved their goal.
Denis Volyak was the first to finish at Victory Square, covering the distance in 5 minutes and 23 seconds, for which he received the main prize of the competition – a bicycle. A native of Grodno, he serves under contract in the 103rd Separate Guards Airborne Brigade in Vitebsk, is a certified athletics coach, and a member of the national team of the Armed Forces of Belarus in modern pentathlon. The athlete initially started the race to win.
– I ran for the result. The distance was easy. Now I will prepare for the Minsk Half Marathon, – Denis shared.
The award ceremony for the winners took place during the grand opening of Youth Days at Victory Square. Then, as part of the "Belarus Remembers. Remembers Everyone" campaign, the youth laid flowers at the eternal flame of the memorial complex in honor of the Soviet soldiers-liberators, partisans, and underground fighters of the Vitebsk region.
And the main city square was filled with the noise of speakers and the roar of car engines. The dB Drag Racing2 car audio festival brought together about 40 car enthusiasts from Belarus, Russia, and Latvia, who had tuned their cars so much that they could be heard from great distances.
The annual festival of youth subcultures and healthy lifestyle has moved to the venue near the Summer Amphitheatre. Here, a tournament in workout, basketball, and other street sports popular among the next generation is taking place. A world record for kettlebell lifting is also planned to be set.
The Youth Days will conclude with a concert by popular Belarusian bands NaviBand, "Bez Bileta", and "Chuvstvo Polyota" this evening on Victory Square.
No matter how the format changes, no matter what new projects are added to the youth celebration within the festival, the main thing has remained unchanged. As noted by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the NGO "BRSM" Dmitry Voronyuk, "Slavianski Bazaar" and Youth Day are an opportunity for the most progressive, initiative, creative, and athletic youth to make themselves known.