Vytoki festival: A gift for the youth of the city

Friday at the Vytoki festival was packed with events. Participants toured the city’s sports infrastructure and saw a colorful opening ceremony in the evening.

“It is important to do something interesting for young people, as they are the future,” President of Belarus’ NOC Viktor Lukashenko told the media after the opening of the Vytoki festival and a roller park in Svetlogorsk.

Responding to a question, he noted that when choosing a city to host the festival, organizers always consult with regional authorities and take a number of factors into account.

“We come to places where we are wanted and where the authorities are ready to help us. Here, everything fell into place. The younger the city is, the more our festival is in demand. Svetlogorsk has a large young population and the roller park has already generated a lot of interest even before its opening. We need to do something interesting for young people. They are our future.”

Viktor Lukashenko also commented on the participation of guests from Oman in the opening of the festival.

“We are reaching out to the geographically distant countries. First we hosted our brothers from Russia and now our great friends from Oman. The festival is going international.”

The head of the NOC noted the city’s sports infrastructure.

“Svetlogorsk is a very sporting city; the coaches and management of the sports schools take good care of their students and facilities. For children from small towns, meeting Olympic champions is a big event. Most importantly, they pass on not only their skills but also their energy to our young generation.’

The president of the NOC of Belarus noted that every city has its own features and traditions, and they can be explored together with the Vytoki festival.

The participants of the Vytoki festival treat the history of Belarus with care and honor the feat of the heroes who, at the cost of their lives, won freedom and peace for future generations.

NOC President Viktor Lukashenko, Sports Minister Sergei Kovalchuk, Governor of Gomel Oblast Ivan Krupko, Chairman of the Svetlogorsk District Executive Committee Dmitry Shabetnik and decorated athletes laid flowers at the Operation Bagration memorial on 5 June.

The central feature of the memorial is a mound, for which soil was brought from all the mass graves of the Svetlogorsk land.

The Vytoki festival is also a good platform for exchanging expert opinions. On 5 June, specialists in Olympic education and sports gathered in Svetlogorsk to discuss modern trends in training and recovery.

The guests also toured the city’s sports infrastructure and attended clinics from renowned athletes of Belarus and Russia.

The city, which is known for its sporting traditions, had never before seen such a number of Olympic champions and Games medalists.

Belarusian and Russian athletes conducted clinics in rowing, swimming, wrestling, and ice hockey for the region's young athletes on Friday.

NOC President Viktor Lukashenko, Sports Minister Sergei Kovalchuk, Governor of Gomel Oblast Ivan Krupko, Chairman of the Svetlogorsk District Executive Committee Dmitry Shabetnik visited the locations where future champions are training.

The martial arts hall and swimming pool of the sports and recreation complex hosted meet-and-greets with Olympic champion Aliaksandr Bahdanovich, World Cup winner and silver medalist of the World Championships Kiryl Maskevich (Greco-Roman wrestling), Olympic silver medalist in wrestling Valeria Koblova, Olympic vice-champion in swimming Anastasia Fesikova, and Olympic champion in hockey Andrei Zubarev.

The children eagerly performed the tasks and lined up for autographs from the renowned athletes.

The renovated rowing facility in Svetlogorsk promises to become a venue for training high-level athletes.

“In rowing, you need strength, flexibility, and endurance. We worked with the kids on all the muscle groups necessary for training. Warm-up and cool-down are very important for longevity. I am happy to share my experience, as I have been through big sports from A to Z. The main ingredients for success are to train, believe in yourself, and never give up,” Aliaksandr Bahdanovich said.

One of the most engaging attractions of the second day of the Vytoki festival organized by the Belarusian Olympic Academywas a sports-history quest.

In Svetlogorsk, the quest took participants through interesting locations around the city and proved to be very dynamic and educational.

Two teams became the winners of the quest:

Svetlogorsk Duet and the 1+1 team.

The winners received prizes from the NOC of Belarus.