Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 28 June (BelTA) – Belarus should break new ground by the time of the 2021 IIHF World Championship which will be held on the home turf, Deputy Prime Minister Vasily Zharko said addressing the new head of the Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation Gennady Savilov, BelTA has learned.

Vasily Zharko said that the country lives by hockey. The high attendance rate pf HC Minsk Dinamo matches is a proof of this. “However, the national team was relegated from the IIHF elite division. The results are poor. I think that Semyon Shapiro did a lot during the year but he made the decision to resign. The task for the new leader and Belarusian hockey is to get prepared for the 2021 IIHF World Championship in the best way possible. New teams will be set up in Pinsk, Orsha, and other cities to promote the development of the sport. HC Minsk Dinamo will remain the backbone for the national team,” he said.

The vice premier stressed that there is no time to procrastinate and urged to get to work and scale new heights in the Belarusian hockey.

The conference to review the results of the past season was held in Minsk on 28 June. Former hockey player Gennady Savilov was elected new head of the Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation replacing Semyon Shapiro who worked in this post for about a year.