Photo: Belarus’ Sports and Tourism Ministry
Viktor Lukashenko expressed his confidence in dynamic development of Belarus-Russian relations in sports, “Today, we have opened a very important tournament together. We will try to find more joint projects in swimming to develop them together. We have a new chair of the federation who is determined to do a lot of good for this type of sports. Olga Vasilyevna [Stepus] needs our support. I am confident that hosting Strongest Athletes Swimming Cup is the beginning of close co-operation between both countries’ federations.”
For his part, Dmitry Mazepin emphasised that it is important to co-operate at the international stage, “We have recently met with our colleagues in Samara and discussed a lot. We’ve agreed to continue our joint efforts at the international level to bring athletes from our countries back to global competitions. We are glad that many doors are opening for us. There a nice swimming pool in Minsk. I think the water will be fast there and it has excellent, spacious bleachers. Holding Strongest Athletes Swimming Cup in Minsk will have a positive impact on this type of sports.”
The meeting also involved Belarus’ Sports and Tourism Minister Sergei Kovalchuk and Belarusian Swimming Federation Chair Olga Stepus.