In the Vitebsk region, the awarding of personal scholarships to athletes has been resumed

According to Vasily Zakharevich, Head of the Department of Sports and Tourism of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, scholarships were previously paid to athletes for many years and were discontinued due to inconsistencies between sectoral and financial legislation since January 2017. This year, a number of legislative documents regulating this area were issued, which allowed for the resumption of this practice. For this purpose, a regional commission on awarding scholarships to leading athletes of the region was established. The commission received 226 nominations for athletes applying for scholarships from physical culture and sports organizations, secondary schools, and Olympic reserve colleges.

Based on the review of the documents, the commission identified 100 athletes in 17 Olympic and 4 non-Olympic sports who will be awarded scholarships. Payments of varying amounts (depending on the significance of sports achievements) will be made from funds allocated in the regional budget for the sphere of physical culture and sports. For now, scholarships will be awarded for four months; at the beginning of 2019, deputies will reconsider this issue with the aim of extending the award period to one year. Following the results of 2017, athletes of the region won 136 medals in the international arena (this is the second highest indicator among regions in the country). Since the beginning of 2018, they have added 139 medals to the region's tally.

"The awarding of personal scholarships to leading and promising athletes of the region is an important stimulating factor in their training," noted Vasily Zakharevich.