Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 28 October (BelTA) – Participants and fans heading to Belarus for the Second European Games in 2019 will face a much simpler visa application process, Belarusian Sport and Tourism Minister Alexander Shamko said in an interview with the ONT TV channel, BelTA has learned.

While preparing for the Second European Games Belarus will use the experience it gained while hosting the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. “We accumulated a wealth of experience during the 2014 worlds. We will involve qualified personnel during the Second European Games in Belarus. As was the case two years ago, all participants and fans will face a much simpler visa application process to enter our country during the European Games. We will try to maximize the experience we gained during the Ice Hockey World Championship,” the minister noted.

He also informed that the program of the European Games will feature 12 to 15 sports. About $40 million will be spent to arrange this major sports event in 2019. “This is not a big sum. Belarus already has modern sports facilities and hotels. These are the organizational expenses, some of which will be assumed by the EOC,” Alexander Shamko said.

Belarus was elected to host the Second European Games in 2019 after a vote at the 45th General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees in Minsk on 21 October.