Vytoki festival: A Whirlpool of Emotions

The picturesque Suvorov Park in ancient Kobrin became one of the most popular sites in Brest Oblast on Saturday. The presence of a great number of famous performers and athletes provided visitors with an opportunity to take a lot of selfies, to learn about the sport and economic achievements of the region, and to get familiar with its cultural program.

A competition for young singers turned out to be a really interesting event on the stage of the amphitheater. Ekaterina Sychevskaya won in the senior group, while Sofia Rustamova from Brest was victorious in the junior group. Presenting the award to the young singer, Irina Dorofeyeva said that Sofia is becoming a regular winner of competitions.

The young singer from Brest has already represented Belarus at the New Wave children's contest, participated in the TV project “Talents of Belarus 4”, and reached the final of the national selection for the 2019 Junior Eurovision Song Contest. “Each award means a lot to me, because I really love singing. Today the Vytoki festival has gathered a lot of talented artists, and I am very grateful to the jury for choosing me. Thank you! As a child, I, like Sofia Burlakova, sang everything, so my mother had nothing to do but take me to singing classes. I sang a beautiful jazz composition which helped me get the first prize in Kobrin. It was an excellent result and a great festival,” Sofia Rustamova said.

“We have brought rocket modeling to the festival. This sport requires a lot of hard work and also a lot of competitive moments. Our site, especially big rockets, has attracted great attention at the festival. I have been sharing my knowledge with young people for 28 years already,” Dmitry Pokinboroda said.

“Seminars held as part of the festival provide an opportunity to meet with Olympic education specialists, to discuss various issues, to get advice on areas to develop further. The Olympiad in physics has been held for three years already and its participants demonstrate good theoretical knowledge. The Belarusian Olympic Academy plans to continue its visits to the regions,” Natalya Aponchuk, Director of the Belarusian Olympic Academy, said. 

The Vytoki merchandise was much sought after at the festival. Magnets, notepads and other items were selling really well. “We decided to make a batch, and, as you can see, we did the right thing. Children and parents like buying keepsakes, and souvenirs at such festivals enjoy great popularity,” Tatiana Vasiliyevna said.

Alexander Hleb, a well-known Belarusian football player, who played for Stuttgart, Arsenal and Barcelona, was happy to pose for a picture with every visitor at the festival. The Vytoki festival in Kobrin gave its visitors a lot of great emotions. Everyone was eager to take part in sports quests, win prizes, and enjoy the performance of the best artists of the region.

“We got a card and did our best to get it stamped as many times as possible. I really want to get a prize. Athletic tasks do not scare me. I play hockey and my friends and I tried to fulfill all the tasks,” Leva Lukomsky said.

Second-grader Lera Nosikova from Krasnoznamensk (Moscow Oblast) came to the Vytoki festival together with her mother. “We came to visit our grandmother and found out that there would be a festival in the town. Such events have always attracted us: a lot of people, interesting contests, and a concert in the evening. The park in Kobrin is very beautiful, and we love coming here,” said Lera.

The site of Belagroprombank, a long-standing partner of the NOC of Belarus, was also a popular area of activity at the festival. The kids willingly took pictures with the barbell and lifted weights. “Our bank always tries to present the best things, we know how to work with clients. The opportunity to participate in the Vytoki festival is very important for the bank. It is very important to teach our kids how to think and live right. We always support the new generation. We are glad that our beautiful site is so popular,” Antonina Koleda, chief specialist at Belagroprombank’s retail sales department, said.

Kirill Voron from Brest represented pentathlon and was eager to popularize the sport at the festival. “I did really well in pentathlon. I tried my hand in other sites as well. I love sports. I did swimming in Brest for two years, but I got bored a little. What famous swimmers from Brest do I know? Coaches tell me, but I do not remember the names. They brought us to Kobrin, so we could take part in the regional Olympic day. It was a cool event, a lot of action, a good example for my peers to put aside computers and smartphones and spend Saturday in an active way. Thanks to the coaches for bringing us here,” Kirill said.

One of Kobrin’s masters of sport, top-level coach Vyacheslav Elberg was doing his usual thing at the festival: he was attracting kids to the chess section, where one of Europe’s most successful players, the leader of the Belarusian national team Aleksei Aleksandrov trained.

“From my own experience, I would say: such events as Vytoki should be held more often at the regional level. Then the organizers will achieve their goals. Aleksei Aleksandrov performed at the World Chess Olympiad in Batumi, while the women's national team included two athletes from Kobrin. I think this speaks a lot about our school’s contribution to chess development in the country. I am very glad that parents and kids come to us. We have an integrated sport school and events like Vytoki bring a lot of benefit,” said Vyacheslav Elberg.

Martin Shabolovsky from Kobrin dreams of becoming a famous hockey player. He has already been training at the local sport school and evaluates the KHL opportunities at the arena of HC Dinamo Minsk.

The results of the festival’s creative projects were summed up after the sport activities. The singing contest has already been mentioned in the article. As for the contest among young artists, the best were Angelina Onishchuk (1st place), Ekaterina Mizevich (2nd place), Viktoriya Zaiko (3rd place), Olga Teteruk (People’s Choice Award). Congratulations!

The Vytoki festival is traveling to Gomel Oblast, with its next edition to be staged in Mozyr on 24-26 June.

The organizers of the Vytoki festival are the National Olympic Committee of Belarus, the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus, the Arthaos and BelBrandAudit companies.