Republic

MINSK, 8 September (BelTA) – Belarus will fight for the right to host the world’s first European Games, said President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko at the meeting with participants of the session of the Executive Committee of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) on 8 September. “We strongly support the initiative of the European Olympic Committees to start new complex competitions – the European Games – in 2015,” said the head of state. Alexander Lukashenko underlined that Belarus would do its best to properly host the sports forum if the country was chosen for it. The President of Belarus also suggested considering holding these games in several countries at once. The project would promote closer ties between nations, Alexander Lukashenko is convinced. The Belarusian head of state remarked that close attention was paid to the development of Olympic movement and high-performance sport in Belarus. In his words, future champions are taken care of since childhood. There are 430 junior sports schools and 12 Olympic reserve colleges. Representatives of 49 national teams are busy honing their Olympic skills at 38 Olympic training centers. Belarus has earned 14 gold, 28 silver and 48 bronze Olympic medals. The President remarked that over the 20 years since the country became independent, it has built more sports facilities than in the entire period of being a member of the USSR. In the last two Olympic cycles over 50 cutting-edge facilities were opened. Belarus has had the pleasure of hosting the most prestigious international competitions several times and has earned the right to host the 2014 IIHF World Championship. Speaking about support for Olympic movement, Alexander Lukashenko mentioned cooperation between executive authorities and national Olympic committees. In his words, the matter has been raised repeatedly and next year it will be the main one for the General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees. Alexander Lukashenko believes that Belarus can be considered an example of productive cooperation between the state and the sports community in this area. He remarked that government officials, people with a great administrative leverage, people who can deal with problems the sports community faces are heads of most Belarusian sports associations. The Belarusian head of state believes that the fact has a positive effect. Alexander Lukashenko said that if the EOC is interested in these practices and they are ready to get convinced that such state public partnership is effective, Belarus is ready to hold an international forum, a conference to discuss the topic and other matters at the time the EOC finds convenient. The President told participants of the meeting that the arrival of the EOC representatives in Belarus had been a great honor and a token of appreciation of Belarus’ contribution to the development of the best traditions of European and world sports by the international community. He stressed that Belarus will continue pursuing the policy. “I think that it has been proved already that modern Belarus truly worships health and physical perfection. Those are some of the priorities of our state policy. Going in for sports and physical training is a matter easily accessible for the masses, something that the government encourages,” said the President. In five years one in four of the Belarusians will go in for spots. “The Belarusians are truly a nation of sportsmen. We are doing our best to make it so and will continue working for it,” added the head of state. Alexander Lukashenko invited participants of the session to visit Belarusian sports facilities, to talk to sportsmen and coaches in private, to take a walk along streets of Minsk, other cities, towns and villages, to talk to people. “I would like you to see the genuine face of the Belarusian nation and our state before you leave,” said the Belarusian head of state. Before the meeting started, its participants held a moment of silence to honor the members of the Russian ice hockey club Lokomotiv, who died in the plane crash in Yaroslavl Oblast of Russia. “Unfortunately, the sports community has suffered an irrecoverable loss. Those are our brothers. We mourn victims of the tragedy. Among them there were Belarusians, too, who excelled at this great game,” said Alexander Lukashenko.

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