Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 29 March (BelTA) – There will be no easy money in sport in Belarus, but results will be paid well, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said as he met with participants of the 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games on 29 March, BelTA informs.

“A major meeting with the president on winter sports is to be held soon. The minister and the head of the president’s administration are currently preparing for it. We will do a detailed analysis of any shortcomings and mistakes we have in winter sports and draw the appropriate conclusions. A lot has already been done to build the system. There will be no easy money. There will be only money for results. Resources will also be provided for training,” the Belarusian leader said.

“Both coaches and athletes should understand that any unnecessary trips abroad for additional training is also a thing of the past. You will be provided with enough time to train in mountains. The most important thing is that we need a result,” the president said.

Alexander Lukashenko also criticized the poor performance of the men’s biathlon team at the Olympics. In his words, measures are also needed in the disabled sports sector, despite the fact that the Belarusian athletes demonstrated a good result at the Paralympics. “We need a good selection of athletes. This is the major task for coaches. We have agreed to set up the corresponding funds, allocate money. We will also provide athletes you select with everything necessary. And we will demand results,” the president said.