Olympic Day for future champions

Minsk marked Olympic Day on 13 September!

Residents and visitors of the Belarusian capital got a real taste of a sports festival atmosphere through participation in numerous sporting activities.

The Olympic quest was preceded by a grand opening ceremony which was attended by Vice President of the NOC of Belarus Dzmitry Dauhalionak and Minsk Mayor Vladimir Kukharev. They emphasized the significance of Olympic Day for young athletes.

“It’s hard to surprise Minsk residents, but the sports federations, thanks to their participation in the Vytoki festival, have gained the necessary experience in this regard. Each site has acquired new interesting equipment that children especially like. The Olympic quest has already kicked off. There are a lot of participants. Every year we break attendance records, because in addition to Minsk residents, people from all over the country come to the event,” NOC Vice President Dzmitry Dauhalionak said.

Vladimir Kukharev stressed that visiting the sports locations on City Day has already become a good tradition for Minsk residents.

“Today we are also lucky with the weather. Today we are having a beautiful sunny day. Our city is known for its love of an active lifestyle. Hundreds of thousands of residents are engaged in sports and physical activity,” Vladimir Kukharev said. “As many as 30,000 people are taking part in the festivities. This format is ideal for realizing the potential of young participants. I hope that today the kids will choose the most suitable sport for themselves and dedicate an important part of their lives to it. Olympic Day is the foundation of our victories and a great sporting future.”

The Olympic quest (over 30 zones near the Palace of Sports) was a great success this year. The kids actively participated in the contests and received valuable prizes.

Alina Harnasko, Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist in rhythmic gymnastics, said that she came to Olympic Day in an excellent mood:



“Every year, more and more boys and girls come to Olympic Day. It's nice to see such a queue for rhythmic gymnastics. I myself ran around the zones and tried out the sports. It's a very pleasant day today, sunny and nice,” Alina Harnasko said.

The main heroes of Olympic Day were the young participants, who throughout the day worked hard, completed tasks, and received coveted prizes.

Together with their parents, the kids shared their impressions and talked about the festival.

“Our impressions are fantastic! All the stamps have been collected and the coveted prizes received, and now our emotions are off the charts. All our girls are athletic and attend various sporting clubs. We saw a commercial on TV; we didn't make it last year, so my daughters controlled me this time so as to make sure we attend Olympic Day," said Tatiana Akhramenya, mother of the Olympic quest participants.

“There are a large number of zones at the Olympic quest. I liked volleyball the most, since I do it, and also basketball,” Bogdana Yevdokimova joyfully said.



During the festival, participants were able not only to demonstrate their athletic skills but also to show off their erudition.

The Belarusian Olympic Academy prepared an Olympic Quiz for lovers of intellectual competitions.

Partizany [Partisans] won the first game. Congratulations on the well-deserved victory!

Kedy [Sneakers] triumphed in the second game! Our sincere congratulations!

The Belarusian Olympic Academy is grateful to the teams for their participation in the intellectual tournament, for the positive emotions, and the incredible atmosphere!

The Olympic Day in Minsk also featured spectacular dragon boat competitions among university teams on Svisloch River near the Palace of Sports.

Medals went to the Belarusian State University of Physical Education, Polessky State University, and the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics.

Olympic Day was also packed with hockey events.

During the Olympic Quest, HC Dinamo Minsk played against HC Barys in Astana. The hockey club and the Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation organized a live viewing of the game near the main stage.

The Bisons fans created an excellent festive atmosphere.

The organizers of the Olympic Day are the National Olympic Committee of Belarus and the Minsk City Hall.

Press service of the NOC of Belarus

Photos by the NOC of Belarus