Press releases

MINSK, 16 October (BelTA) – The Belarusian Hockey Federation suggests organizing a joint championship with Russia, BelTA learned from Chairman of the Belarusian Hockey Federation Alexander Yekimenko.

The CIS Hockey Cup that features Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian team has been a success for a number of recent years. Today there is a suggestion to organize a new tournament.

According to Alexander Yekimenko, the Belarusian Hockey Federation has earlier put forward an initiative to organize a tournament between the leading teams of Russia and Belarus. This project was not supported by the Russian Ministry of Sports. “The organization of the tournament will be sponsored with the funds from the Union State budget. The joint championships will help enhance the level of the clubs and the national teams. For instance, Russia was not present in the sport at the previous Olympics in Rio. This means that Russian players need strong rivals to hone their skills. The Belarusian women’s teams are of high level and well-known in Europe. The joint championship with Russians, which will feature six men’s and six women’s team, is an optimal option in my opinion,” Alexander Yekimenko said.

If the initiative of the Belarusian Hockey Federation is approved, the competitions will be held in Minsk and St Petersburg.

Meanwhile, the Belarusian women’s indoor hockey team, ranked fifth in the world, is holding a training camp ahead of the world and European championships in 2018. The 2018 EuroHockey Indoor Championships are scheduled for Prague, the Czech Republic on 19-21 January. The Belarusian women’s team will play the Netherlands, Switzerland and Poland. The 2018 Hockey Indoor World Cup 2018 will take place in Berlin on 7-11 February.