Sport in Belarus

Physical education and competitive sport have long been a priority for Belarus, as reflected in its world-class training facilities and international sporting achievements

Sports facilities in Belarus

The government policy is to make sports accessible to all in Belarus, and this means that the country has excellent sporting facilities in pre-schools, schools and higher education facilities.

Belarusian sports facilities for the general public include:

243 stadiums
250 swimming pools
5,140 gymnasiums
704 swimming pools in kindergartens
46 athletics centres
20 ice rinks
12,212 sports grounds

Raubichi Centre

The Raubichi Centre in Belarus is considered to be one of the best biathlon centres in the world.

Facilities include:

20.5km of ski tracks
freestyle slopes
20m, 40m and 60m ski jumps
shooting grounds with 36 mechanical targets
indoor sports centre with gymnasiums, artificial pitches and swimming pools

As well as sports facilities the centre also boasts 2 4-star hotels, a 3-star hotel, restaurants and bars.

Professional sports in Belarus

Belarus has extensive training facilities for professional sportsmen and women.

These include:

Belarusian State University of Physical Education
11 Olympic-standard colleges
165 Olympic-standard specialised schools
Over 250 youth sports schools

Belarus has already produced 280 world and European champions in a wide range of sporting disciplines.

Belarus and the Olympics

Belarusians first took part in the Olympics in the 1952 Helsinki games, as part of a combined USSR team.

The country has an excellent record at the Olympic games. The first independent Belarus Olympic team took part in the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer and won two silver medals.

In the Beijing 2008 games, Belarus won 19 medals, including 4 gold and 5 silver. The team was most successful in athletics, canoeing and weightlifting, and finished 16th in the medals table overall.

There are 3 Olympic training centres in Belarus, in Stayki, Raubichi and Ratomka.

Many famous Olympians have come from Belarus.