Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 21 April (BelTA) – Belarus is a perfect place to hold the ice hockey world championship. The statement has been made by Eurovision 2009 winner, Belarus-born singer from Norway Alexander Rybak in an interview with the World View program on RTR Belarus TV channel, BelTA has learnt.

“I am always on the move. Minsk is the only city where I let myself have a walk, stand and stare. I really love and respect my homeland. Minsk has always been amazing. Minsk is a perfect venue to conduct international competitions,” Alexander Rybak said.

In his words, the new facilities that have sprung in Minsk recently give the city a great competitive edge. “I really like that all the facilities that were built in Minsk for the world championship, will not stay idle after the championship is over and will still be frequented by Belarusians and tourists. In many countries facilities that had been constructed for a particular event were no longer needed afterwards and no one knew what to do with them. Minsk has done everything right; things were very well planned,” the singer said.

The performer also praised the mascot of the championship – Volat the bison. “I am really glad that the bison was chosen to be the mascot of the championship. It is so cute. Other countries usually choose muscular, adult-type symbols, while the championship in Minsk is obviously meant for an entire family. I am sure that there is no better place to hold the ice hockey championship. After all, here everyone plays hockey, even the little bison,” the performer said.

Alexander Rybak admitted that while visiting other countries, he is never shy to declare his love for Belarus. “I was really happy when I got a chance to perform in Orsha. I know that Belarus is a very beautiful country and I always tell others how much I love it. However, at some point I realized that I had been only to Minsk. What if the rest of the country does not do that well? It turned out that every little nook of Belarus is beautiful. It is not like in some Slavonic countries where the capital city is ritzy and the rest of the country is miserable. Not at all. The government of Belarus makes sure that life in other towns and even small communities is also good,” the singer said.

Alexander Rybak noted that he would entrust young unknown artists with writing an anthem for the world championship. “An anthem is something magical. I really like the moment when people perform the national anthem together, from the heart. It should be a privilege of new and unknown artists to compose the anthem for the championship. I believe that one should experiment with it. Sport is not a song contest. Everything should be fresh and ingenious. I am convinced that everything will work out fine for Belarus here,” the singer said.

It turned out Alexander Rybak can also play ice hockey well, although only on Xbox. “I have an Xbox and I play hockey on it, I always play for the Belarusian team,” he admitted. At the world championship, the singer will support the Belarusian team. “I really hope that I will be able to meet the Belarusian team soon. I support the team and wish them to win not only on my Xbox, but also in reality,” the singer added.