Lukashenko commented on hockey results: it’s a disgrace!
The Head of State stated this at today’s meeting discussing the results of Belarusian athletes’ participation in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games and prospects for the development of winter sports in Belarus, commenting on the report of the head coach of the national speed skating team of our country, Sergei Minin, who believes that construction of additional sports facilities will increase the number of those engaged in sports activities
As an example, Aleksandr Lukashenko cited the situation with ice hockey, where there are currently 44 rinks, “As far as hockey is concerned, what can I say, you see that it’s a disgrace! There were three indoor ice rinks while now we have 44. What has changed? Nothing, they have started to play even worse! Football and hockey are our national sports.”
Then he drew parallels with speed skating, “The necessary conditions have been created. What happened? Practice skating on ice hockey rinks, like short track speed skating, practice with roller skis, and then bring the best: just five athletes from each region and we will accommodate them, enabling them to train in Minsk. There’s a great skating rink here! Feel free to skate! As far as the construction of new sports facilities under the conditions of unprecedented sanctions is concerned … listen, it’s as if you live in another world. There is no money for this. If there was confidence that tomorrow we would build something in Mogilev or in Vitebsk and you would bring at least one medal, then we would have to think. But for now, you can’t boast of this.”
The President summed up that there is no need to expect that another skating stadium will be built in the near future.
“You know how much it costs. Take roller skis and start working with them. You need methods and physical training, so that their legs do not go numb because of [lactic] acid buildup already at 200m distance,” added Aleksandr Lukashenko.
