Last year, athletes from the Vitebsk region won 73 medals
Over the past year, athletes from the Vitebsk region have won 73 medals (22 gold, 26 silver, 25 bronze) at official international competitions. Of course, achieving such results requires a modern material and technical base. The Vitebsk region has 3800 sports facilities, and new sports facilities are built annually. This was discussed today at a meeting of the sports department of the regional executive committee.
Our athletes were able to achieve such high results at a time when, unfortunately, sports are one of the tools in the political games of the West.
– Everyone has heard about the situation when leading kickboxers could not take part in the European Championship held in Moldova due to the refusal to issue entry visas, – said the head of the department, Denis Fateev, giving an example. – This decision was clearly un-sporting and aimed at weakening the competition. Nevertheless, our athletes accepted this ban with resilience and unwavering character. And at the World Cup in Minsk, in a highly competitive environment, the Vitebsk region team proved that it is the strongest in the whole world, winning 80 medals of various dignities. This once again proves that the true strength and will of our athletes will never be broken!
Deputy Chairman of the regional executive committee Vyacheslav Durnov emphasized that the state invests huge funds in sports.
– Athletes are provided with everything necessary, including appropriate material incentives, even in the conditions of illegal exclusion from international competitions, – noted Vyacheslav Durnov. – They may not become outstanding athletes or coaches, but they are obliged to be true patriots and citizens of their country.
At the same time, for the industry, 2025 will be remembered not only for sports victories but also as a year of important decisions made by the President and the Government of the Republic of Belarus regarding the functioning and support of sports and tourism in the country. First and foremost, this refers to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus "On Improving State Administration in the Field of Tourism".
– For many years, the tourism sector has been an integral part of the work of both the Ministry of Sports and Tourism and regional departments, – noted Vyacheslav Durnov. – Thanks to our coordinated efforts in the Vitebsk region, a clear system has been established, and tourist information centers have been created and are functioning in every city and district. The achieved indicators have allowed our region to hold second place in the republican competition for tourism development for the last two years, second only to Minsk. At the same time, in 2026, we entered a new status: the Department for Tourism of the Ministry of Sports and Tourism was abolished, and the National Tourism Agency was transferred to the subordination of the Council of Ministers. At the regional level, tourism has been transferred to the Committee for Economics.
The second important point is the adoption of the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus "On Improving Support for Sports Organizations".
– A new mechanism for state support of federations and sports clubs has been introduced, granting them the right to receive subsidies with strictly targeted spending of funds, – emphasized Vyacheslav Durnov. – Federations can receive subsidies from the republican budget, and clubs for team and individual sports – from local budgets. Simultaneously, support through sponsors receiving benefits on property tax, land tax, and profit tax is being terminated.
