Today, Vitebsk is hosting the regional competitions in phygital sports for the first time. Over 60 boys born in 2013-2015 are participating in teams from three districts of the regional center, as well as from Vitebsk, Gorodok, and Orsha districts.
The program includes two stages. In the first stage, the boys played on a Sony Playstation in the popular football simulator "FIFA-2026" for two halves of five minutes each.
This was followed by a mini-football match with two halves of 10 minutes each. The results of the two stages are combined by the number of goals scored. The team with more goals wins and advances in the tournament bracket.
"We all understand that the younger generation spends more and more time on gadgets and computers," says Denis Fateev, head of the sports and tourism department of the regional executive committee. "Therefore, by introducing digital technologies, we want to attract young people to a healthy lifestyle and sports. Perhaps some of them will join sports clubs after these competitions. By playing real football, they will understand the joy of real sports and team play."
Ivan Ambrozhevich, a midfielder for the Oktyabrsky District team of Vitebsk (a student of Secondary School No. 29), admitted that he prefers real football to computer football.
"I have been training at the FC Vitebsk sports school for four years," the young man says. "I started playing computer football about two years ago. Usually, my team is Real Madrid (one of the most decorated clubs in the world). By virtually controlling the actions of sports stars, I better understand how to play correctly on a real football field."
