Kochanova: financial encouragement for high sports results needs to be perfected

The Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly, Natalya Kochanova, attended a meeting dedicated to topical issues of the development of physical culture and sports in Belarus

The meeting participants discussed how to best encourage athletes for them to further achieve high sports results, and how to create effective training conditions.

“In order to create conditions for participation in sports events of our top sportsmen, coaches and other specialists involved in the training process, it is necessary to perfect the system of material incentives for high sports results, the procedure for appointment and payment of the Belarusian President’s scholarships in the field of physical culture and sports, the procedure for awarding prizes to athletes, and also bonuses to coaches and other specialists,” Ms. Kochanova addressed those present.

She believes this will contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of the Belarusian athletes’ training and their successful performance at major international sports competitions, and will also create additional conditions for qualitive organisation of the training process.

“We need to ensure state support and additional social guarantees to the athletes with disabilities and peculiarities of psychophysical development – who are champions of the Paralympic and Deaflympic Games – after reaching the generally established retirement age. Moreover, additional incentives for young athletes with disabilities should be created for them to achieve high sports results,” Ms. Kochanova added.

In turn, the Deputy Chairman of the Standing Commission of the Council of the Republic on Education, Science, Culture and Social Development, Dmitry Baskov, noted that the country offers all necessary conditions for grassroots and professional sports, “Opportunities are available for development in any sports activity. In addition, we have today discussed a possibility of introducing scholarships to Olympic champions – to be paid after the end of their career and until retirement. They have devoted their whole lives to sports, achieved high sports results, but for one reason or another, including health ones, they cannot even work at an administrative body.”