Volleyball tournament in Vitebsk may receive support from the Union State budget - S. Shukhno

August 25, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA /. The Standing Committee of the Union State will make efforts to ensure that the international volleyball tournament in Vitebsk receives permanent support from the budget of the Union State. This was stated to journalists by Deputy State Secretary of the Union State Sergey Shukhno, who took part today in the opening ceremony of the XIV International Tournament for the Cup of the Union State and prizes of RUPP "Vityaz" in the regional center, BELTA correspondent reports. For the third year in a row, the competition is held under the auspices of the Standing Committee of the Union State, and during this time the tournament has gained strength, as evidenced by the current lineup of its participants: the strongest Belarusian and Russian clubs have gathered in Vitebsk. The competitions are organized at a convenient time when teams need game practice. Therefore, the Standing Committee of the Union State will support the tournament in Vitebsk, promote its development, and its holding in a broader format and at a higher level, Sergey Shukhno assured. As an example of the results of such assistance, he cited the traditional Spartakiad of the Union State for children and youth, which will be held this year in Pskov and Grodno with the participation of over 1,000 young men and women in 14 sports. "The Spartakiad has been held since 2003, and during this time its funding has increased sevenfold," noted Sergey Shukhno. This year, eight teams will compete for the main prize of the volleyball tournament. The Russian Super League champion of 2009, the winner of the European Champions League-2008 "Zenit" (Kazan), the winner of the 2009 CEV Cup, the seven-time champion of Russia and two-time winner of the European Champions League "Lokomotiv-Belogorye" (Belgorod), a multiple medalist of Russian and European competitions "Iskra" (Odintsovo), as well as "Lokomotiv-Izumrud" (Yekaterinburg) and "GUVD-Dynamo" (Krasnodar) have gathered in Vitebsk. Belarus is represented in the tournament by the two-time champion of the country and winner of the Belarus Cup in 2008 and 2009 "GVK-Metallurg" from Zhlobin, "Stroitel" (Minsk) and the Vitebsk club "Marko", a multiple winner of national championships and the Belarus Cup. In the first stage, the volleyball players will determine the strongest in two subgroups, and then, based on the results of head-to-head matches, the winner and prize-winners of the competition will be known. The Standing Committee of the Union State has established a prize fund of 250 thousand Russian rubles. In addition to the main prize from the Standing Committee of the Union State, the best teams, coaches and athletes will take home valuable prizes from RUPP "Vityaz" from Vitebsk. The tournament will conclude on August 30. Its organizers are the Standing Committee of the Union State, the regional executive committee, the city executive committee and RUPP "Vityaz".-0-