Opinions & Interviews

Tokyo Olympics seen as serious test for Belarusian sport

VETKA, 25 July (BelTA) – The 32nd Tokyo Summer Olympic Games will be a serious test for Belarusian sport, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he visited a swimming center at the Vetka children's and youth sport school, BelTA has learned.

Vetka District is one of the regions affected by the Chernobyl disaster, so recuperation is given special attention here. “If we want more people to take up sport we need to create necessary conditions. All in all there are 574 sport facilities in the regions hit by Chernobyl,” First Deputy Sport and Tourism Minister Vyacheslav Durnov reported to the president. Last year, a swimming center was commissioned in Vetka.

The president said that sport facilities in towns, including in Vetka, need to be used not only for recreation but for professional training of athletes. “We build sport facilities, invest a lot of funds and need to get results. We should not feel complacent about the results of the European Games. We have the Tokyo Olympics ahead. It will be a very serious test for us,” he said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko got familiar with the swimming center and service facilities, and attended a training session of school students.

The swimming center in Vetka was commissioned in May 2018. It makes part of the local children’s and youth sport school. The two-storied facility features two halls with swimming pools. The school runs swimming programs for 11 groups of more than 120 people.

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