Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko sets major task for Belarusian footballers

MINSK, 29 February (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has advised Belarusian athletes to focus on their performance in Russian sports competitions and do their best to win there amid the ongoing sanctions. He said this as he heard out a report on the football development in Belarus on 29 February. The president also decided to discuss the development of sports in the country in general, BelTA has learned.

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, many keep complaining about sanctions, about Belarusian athletes being banned from international competitions. “Are you banned from competitions in Russia? This is the strongest sports country in the world,” the president said. “I have been watching very closely (more than any of you, I am sure) what is going on with sports in the Russian Federation. The performance of Russian athletes keeps improving all the time. Russian skiers are skiing faster and faster. Ice hockey is very good there. Football is well developed, too. My main task for our athletes is to beat Russians. Show your best in competitions, come and report to me that you perform better than Russians in all sports. This is your major goal. The country will be happy with such results.”

As for the current state of affairs in domestic sports in general, the president said that the results were disappointing.

He added that if there are good results sometimes, they are often unstable, and confident victories are frequently followed by unimpressive results.

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