News & Events in Belarus

Lukashenko instructs to keep close eye on every Olympian ahead of Olympics

MINSK, 19 November (BelTA) – We need to keep every Olympian under individual control ahead of the Summer Olympic Games 2020, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a meeting of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Belarus on 19 November, BelTA has learned.

“It is important that every athlete should show their maximum, should be mentally prepared for a tough fight. It is also important to provide everything they need at the final stage of training. We need to keep every Olympian under individual control: medical, psychological and so on,” the head of state noted.

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that so far 63 Belarusian athletes have won the licenses to perform at the Tokyo Olympics, and more than 100 are planned. “But how many of these licenses transform into medal quality? The competition in all sports is enormous. Why does the number of Olympic licenses reduce with each Olympics? We had 177 in Beijing, 161 in London, 123 in Rio de Janeiro. We also see the downward trend in the number of medals won by Belarusians,” the Belarusian leader asked

The president asked about the training conditions for the members of national teams in the regions, the efficiency of the local sports authorities. “Provision of children's sports schools with equipment and coaching staff,  training of talent pool are also a contribution to the Olympic medal haul,” the head of state believes.

“We have talented athletes and coaches, the necessary material and technical infrastructure. It is important to use our potential wise and efficiently. The government, the Sport and Tourism Ministry, and the National Olympic Committee should keep these issues under control. You, Natalya Ivanovna [Kochanova, the head of the Belarus President’s Administration] need to make sure they send you monthly reports and a list of athletes who are capable of winning medals. You in turn need to inquire what has been done for them and their coaches. This can work only like this,” the president said.

“Money, glory, medals and honors are possible only when there are results,” the president added.

The head of state called upon the participants of the meeting to analyze the current situation, outline problems and make concrete proposals: “If necessary, we will take decisions at the level of the head of state. I would like to see a substantive discussion, without any unnecessary self-reports and populism.”

“We need to show our best in Japan. This is not even a matter of paying back for the efforts and funds put in your training. This is, first of all, the matter of responsibility for the country and the people who show trust in their athletes and wait for great victories. This is what you need to keep in mind when you come to the Olympic arena. This is my main message to the Olympians and all of you,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

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