Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 16 March (BelTA) - Belarusian Paralympic athletes work wonders in PyeongChang, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said when visiting military unit 5448 of the Interior Ministry troops, BelTA has learned.

“These people with disabilities work wonders,” Alexander Lukashenko said. The head of state said that he has long known the Belarusian Paralympic athletes and that he met some of them on many occasions. “Trying to prove they are as equal as others, they work wonders. These are heroic people,” the Belarusian leader said.

Alexander Lukashenko confessed that being the president of the National Olympic Committee, he viewed the para sport competitions, prior to the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Paralympics , with some regret thinking that these people, given their physical condition, should be spared going into so much physical strenuous work. “I watch a lot of broadcasts from the Paralympic Games. When I have no time, I watch them offline. I just fell in love with these people. These are courageous people! The way they fight is amazing! If our athletes ‘with abilities’ performed the same way, we would have 30-40 medals,” the president said.

The president noted that he was impressed with the performance of Belarusian Paralympians in South Korea. “These are wonderful people. I am happy that I have been able to feel this competitive spirit and enjoy the performance of these athletes. I am looking forward to greeting our athletes back at home to thank and award them. They are heroes. Ten medals. These are great people,” the head of state said.

According to Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian athletes sometimes lack the stamina and courage of the Paralympians. “They do not complain that they are over 30 or reaching 40. They go out and compete. They are a great team,” the president said.