Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 26 May (BelTA) – Foreign players in ice hockey are important, but Belarus will bank on domestic players in the first place, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said at the meeting with students “Youth. A Look into the Future” on 26 May, BelTA has learned.

“Of course, it is important to have foreign players to learn from. We are not going to decide against foreign players on the team. We will be, however, banking on our players first of all,” said Alexander Lukashenko.

The head of state also mentioned an important factor such as a salary of a foreign player. It makes up at least $500,000 a year. “This is a large sum. This will be enough for a team from the Belarusian championship to perform throughout a year. We cannot waste money,” he stressed.

The president added that foreign players usually take up leading positions on the team while Belarusian athletes play a support role. “When our players get on the national team (there are no foreign players there), they have to take up the leading positions they are not accustomed to. Therefore, we should be more careful with signing foreign players,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

Regarding HC Dinamo Minsk, the head of state said that the club might do well with three foreign players. “I think that it will be good to have a good goalkeeper, and the leaders in the first and second lines. Third and fourth lines could be composed of Belarusian players. Here are the roles for foreign players. I guess it will be good,” the head of state noted.

The president added that the efforts will be taken to raise the prestige of the national championship in order to help Belarusian players to hone up their skills. Teams from neighboring countries expressed the desire to take part in it, which will add a competitive edge to the tournament and will help the Belarusians to become stronger.