Olympic Day in Minsk: to the sound of engines

Minsk played host to a large-scale sport festival Olympic Day on 10 September.

The festival featured more than 50 venues where everyone could try their hand at a wide variety of sports. The festival kicked off far away from the Palace of Sports. At the Mound of Glory participants of H.O.G. Rally Minsk, more than 2,000 bikers, laid flowers to the memorial stone in honor of the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and then drove in columns to the Minsk Palace of Sports.

The bikers went down Nezavisimosti Avenue and made it just in time for the opening of the Olympic Day.

Everything at the main stage was already ready for the beginning of the festival. President of the National Olympic Committee of Belarus Viktor Lukashenko emphasized the special role of the Olympic Day in Minsk as he opened the festival.

“I am sincerely happy that both the Olympic Day and the H.O.G. Rally Minsk have become a good tradition in our country, the tradition that opens up plenty of opportunities for communication and finding common interests,” Viktor Lukashenko said. “Dear friends, bikers and sportsmen have a lot in common. Our favorite pursuit unites us! The arrival of bikers from Russia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in Minsk testifies to the fact!

I would also like to note the work of athletes, coaches and veterans who made the celebration possible!

Despite the current situation on the international sports arena, our athletes keep training for the future competitions of different levels, overcoming all the difficulties and showing their will to win.

I sincerely wish good health to all the festival participants, and I also wish the children to successfully complete all the tests and perform the tasks at the athletic venues. I wish you all excellent mood and prosperity to your families! Happy Olympic Day, dear friends!”

Minsk Mayor Vladimir Kukharev believes that Minsk needs such a great sports festival.

“On the City Day we are hosting a big and wonderful festival. 2,000 bikers, a lot of children here – we are having a real holiday at the Palace of Sports today. I believe that such festivals contribute to the development of sports in the country’s capital and help attract young people,” the Minsk mayor said.

The participants of the Olympic quest were very happy. The organizers said that there were enough gifts for everyone.

“It is a truly great festival. Our competitions at the Emergencies Ministry venue have always been popular, but today we had a special support in Minsk. We also tried ourselves in different kinds of competitions. They were not difficult for us thanks to our training at the Emergencies Ministry service,” said Maria Medvedeva from Gomel.

“Our whole class have come here today. The teachers told us about this festival and we decided to come. There were a lot of activities from the army, police, and firefighters. We easily solved all the sporting tasks,” said 8^th grade student Vladimir.

Olympic champion Uladzislau Hancharou shared his impressions of the festival and also his experience as a biker.

“Big and small sports festivals are no doubt important. They offer lots of opportunities to try different kinds of sports and get a lot of fun. My biker story is just at the very beginning. I am getting used to ride a motorcycle, and I am really interested in it,” Uladzislau Hancharou said.

The Olympic Day venues were very popular with visitors. For example, the tennis federation was looking for future great tennis players during their competitions. Given the good performance of Dinamo Minsk in the KHL, there were long lines at the ice hockey venue as well.

The venues of the Internal Affairs Ministry and the Emergencies Ministry took a prominent place on the festival. The Internal Affairs Ministry offered a drifting race right in the center of Minsk. Taking part in the Olympic Day were partners of the NOC of Belarus: Belagroprombank and the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FTUB).

The Olympic Day ended with a gala concert and a spectacular display of fireworks. The headliner of the concert was the Korni band, a present from the NOC of Belarus.

Press service of the NOC of Belarus

Photos by the NOC of Belarus