Fight to protect

The Bold Step charity project of the President’s Sports Club was launched in Grodno. It became the seventh region where children aged 10 to 15 who found themselves in difficult life situations got the opportunity to practice Thai boxing and kickboxing for free under the guidance of highly qualified coaches. In the Grodno Region, for example, boys and girls will be taken under the patronage of the multiple world and European champion Dmitry Varets.

The President’s Sports Club initiated the creation of sports groups for children in need of support and encouragement two years ago. The idea was supported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Belarusian Kickboxing and Thai Boxing Federation. Thanks to joint efforts, specialised sports centres were opened in Minsk, the Minsk Region, Mogilev, Polotsk, Gomel and Brest. Finally, the kids from Grodno got a unique opportunity to practice Thai boxing under the guidance of eminent athletes.

Dmitry Lukashenko, Chairman of the Central Council of the President’s Sports Club: ‘I am sure that this project has a great future’

The opening ceremony of the sports hall was attended by Dmitry Lukashenko, Chairman of the Central Council of the President’s Sports Club. He told those present the details of the project implementation, “The opening of this hall marks the completion of the first stage of the Bold Step sports and charity project. Initially, we faced a difficult task: to open something like such halls in every region of our country and staff these facilities with professional coaches. We fulfilled this task, and I think we did well. And it took off from there. Four participants of the Bold Step have already become candidate masters of sports. Our students have already received three gold, four silver, and five bronze medals at republican competitions. I am sure that this project has a great future.”

Coach Dmitry Varets with future wards

Yuri Karayev, Assistant to the President, Inspector for the Grodno Region, Chairman of the Belarusian Kickboxing and Thai Boxing Federation was among those who considered it their duty to attend the opening ceremony. In his speech, he drew attention to the unique opportunity that the children will get thanks to the initiative of the President’s Sports Club, “Not all families can pay big money for their children to attend prestigious and fashionable sports groups. Thai boxing is the kind of sport that Belarusians literally broke into a few years ago thanks to Yevgeny Dobrotvorsky and my current deputy Anatoly Simonchik. This happened thanks to their selfless devotion to coaching and students who are now well-known all over the world. Here, in Grodno, there is Dmitry Varets. This is a Thai boxing legend, an iconic fighter that everyone in the city knows. He will raise new champions. Now I turn to children. Kids, under the leadership of Dmitry Varets you will become real fighters. Even if you don’t become champions, you can protect the weak on the street, stand up for the country, for yourself, for your family.”
Chairman of the Grodno Region Executive Committee Vladimir Karanik also expressed his high appreciation for the opportunities provided by the implementation of the Bold Step project for children, “This is a bold and big step towards the development of mass sports. We understand that this will give children the opportunity to engage in sports and physical development. In Thailand, locals call this sport the cure for all diseases. It really facilitates the harmonious development of a person. This sport provides new opportunities for moral self-improvement. It has its own code of honour, which says that one should not boast of one’s strength, that in real life it can only be used to protect the weak. Yes, it’s a fight club. But here they are taught to protect.”

Aleksandra Sheffler — a multiple champion of Belarus

In fact, the Bold Step project is a well-coordinated work of three departments. The Ministry of Internal Affairs provides for the use of its sports training centres for systematic training. The Belarusian Kickboxing and Thai Boxing Federation appoints the coaches. The President’s Sports Club provides gratuitous sponsorship for equipping the facilities, purchasing equipment and paying for the work of coaches. Last year, Staiki hosted competitions in which 96 participants of the Bold Step project took part. There are obvious sports achievements in addition to the organisational ones: Miron Borborovich became the bronze medallist of the 2022 European Championship.
Now, thanks to highly qualified coaches, Grodno children will also be able to achieve the top positions in sports. Their future coach Dmitry Varets, Master of Sports of International Class, is sure of this, “About 30 people can practise in this hall at the same time. We are ready to work in several shifts, attract additional coaches to engage and keep the children of the project busy.”
The champion is sure that training will help the guys who find themselves in difficult life situations to reach their full potential and achieve significant results in the future.

By Katerina Charovskaya
Photos by Aleksey Bibikov