OREANDA-NEWS. April 14, 2008. Belarus will host the European Weightlifting Championships in 2010. The decision was taken unanimously at the congress of the European Weightlifting Federation in Italy.

The tournament will be staged in the Palace of Sport or the multifunctional arena “Minsk-Arena” if its construction is completed by then. The plans also feature the construction of a sports hall which, if ready by 2010, will be able to host the tournament too.

Belarus has gained experience of staging international events. In 2004 Minsk hosted the world junior weightlifting championships. The decision to stage the event in Minsk was preceded by three visits to the country of EWC delegations headed by general secretary Marino Ercolani Casadei. During the visits the EWF officials held meetings with the chairman of the Belarusian Weightlifting Federation, Alexander Shpilevsky, Minister of Sport and Tourism of Belarus Alexander Grigorov, aid to the President of Belarus for physical culture, sport and tourism Gennady Alekseenko, representatives of Belarusian TV and Radio Company. Mr Marino Ercolani Casadei got familiar with the sports facilities in Belarus and its technical opportunities to organise live broadcast.