Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko interested in economic impact of hosting 2nd European Games

MINSK, 27 August (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko asked about the financial results of the 2nd European Games that Minsk hosted in June 2019 as he heard out reports by Vice Premier Vladimir Dvornik and First Vice Premier Aleksandr Turchin on 27 August. The head of state added that hosting such an event is an honor for any country, BelTA has learned.

“I instructed you to take control of the financial matters when we started preparing for the European Games. You understand that this is a serious issue. These are millions of U.S. dollars that we spent on these games. It is very important for any business to see how we could compensate for the costs,” the president said.

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, some citizens felt extremely uneasy about the matter. "This was mainly the so-called opposition (they are always unhappy no matter what you do). They were concerned that we had not compensated for the incurred expenses. They forget what the image of Belarus is, what is the tourist inflow during the games, and especially after the games (and it increases), what profit these games have brought to our companies, including catering services, museums, and performers,” said the Belarusian leader.

“I am interested in the financial side of the event. What have we got as the host of the games? I would like to emphasize that such sport events are an honor for any country. That is why countries compete to host them and not everyone is granted such an opportunity,” Aleksandr Lukashenko added.

Aleksandr Lukashenko said that Belarus will always host such major international sport competitions at the highest level. Moreover, such events unite the nation, especially if athletes perform well. “Our athletes did well at the European Games. They also performed well at the recent ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships. Well done! I decided to attend such competitions regularly, because these athletes show their best every time they compete,” the president said.

“Such events are very important for the development of the sport movement, for the consolidation of our people. We should be proud that we can host such events. It costs a lot of money, but it is difficult to calculate everything. However, let us try to calculate how much we have spent and how much we have earned,” the head of state said.

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