Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 13 April (BelTA) – Belarus cannot lose biathlon as a sport, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said at a session held on 13 April to discuss the development of winter sports, BelTA has learned.

“We cannot lose this sport. This is a truly winter sport,” the Belarusian leader stressed.

Alexander Lukashenko emphasized the need for active and expert work with the pool of athletes so that the country could show great results in this sport once the current leaders of the national women’s team retire.

“The men’s team is a total failure,” the head of state said.

Chairman of the Belarusian Biathlon Federation Andrian Tsibulsky noted that not all athletes approached the Olympics in top shape. The lessons were learned and will be taken into account in the future.

He also said that the main problem in biathlon is the training of the pool of athletes. An innovative program for search and training of prospective young athletes is underway. The program is based on the scientific approach. “The progress is there. The children selected under the program are quickly progressing,” Adrian Tsibulsky said.

In this regard Alexander Lukashenko stressed that the program is important but relying on one component only is not good. “You should work hard in all areas. Do not focus on one thing only,” he said.