International Athletics Event at renovated Dinamo Stadium
The participants of the International Athletics Event were the first to try out renovated Dinamo Stadium in Minsk. The event brought together famous athletes from Belarus, Ukraine, the Baltic Sea states and the Balkans. The event took place on 22-23 June and drew dozens of thousands of spectators and renowned judges who represent international and European federations.
The opening ceremony was held on 22 June and was attended by Head of the Belarusian Athletics Federation Vadim Devyatovsky and President of the European Athletic Association Svein Arne Hansen. The latter noted that Dinamo Stadium in Minsk is one of the best sports facilities he had ever seen over the past 50 years. According to Vadim Devyatovsky, the tournament is a kind of a test for the stadium in the run-up to the European Games MINSK 2019. The stadium will soon host the national championship and might be the venue for the European Championship in 2024.
The International Athletics Event gratified the audience with new records and encounters with famous athletes: the national team scored 160 points in 15 disciplines and was ahead of the Ukrainian team and the Balkan team that scored 138 points each. The first medal was clinched by Sviatlana Kudzelich who won the women’s 3000m. Nastassia Mironchyk-Ivanova won gold in women’s long jump and Tatsiana Khaladovich was the best in women’s javelin throw.
For two days, the attention of the fans was riveted to the legends of the Belarusian sport. And they lived up to the expectations: the prizewinner of the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, record-holder of Belarus (12.41 seconds) in the 100m hurdles Alina Talay won the event with the result of 12.50 seconds. Elvira Herman, the European U23 Championships silver medalist, came in second. Belarusian Pavel Bareisha was victorious in the hammer throw (77m 37cm). The 2016 Rio silver medalist Ivan Tikhon was second and Serghei Marghiev (Moldova) was third. Belarusian Maksim Nedasekau claimed gold in the high jump (2m 30cm).
