OREANDA-NEWS.  March 04, 2013. President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko met with Minister of Sport and Tourism Alexander Shamko, Aide to the President for Sport and Tourism Maksim Ryzhenkov and First Vice President of the National Olympic Committee Igor Rachkovsky to hear out their report on the prospects of the sports industry.

“As I understand since the appointment you have analyzed the management structure in sports and physical education. The time has come to make conclusions. Very important events have happened that characterize the state of affairs in the sports industry. First of all, Belarus played host to the 2013 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, our ice hockey team did not qualify for the next Olympics (which will take place almost at home, in Sochi, but without us). HC Dinamo Minsk ended the KHL regular season worse than last year, though it pledged better results. In my opinion, HC Yunost failed the season in the VHL League completely,” the President said.

According to the head of state, the IBU world championships also revealed a range of problems. “If not for Domracheva’s win in mass start, we would have had nothing to talk about. But this victory should not confuse us, and we should not think that things are well in our biathlon,” Alexander Lukashenko noted.

“Thus when developing an integrated system of sports management in our country, we must remember that we are doing it for results. If we again make big plans but fail afterwards, you know who is responsible for this,” the head of state stressed.

“You are given great authority. Please, do your job every day, every hour. There is the Winter Olympics ahead. The summer Olympic Games are just around the corner. Apart from the Olympics we are hosting the IIHF World Championship next year,” Alexander Lukashenko noted.

Alexander Lukashenko also stated the need for tough personnel policy in sport: “If someone does not do their job well, they quit and be replaced with new people hungry for work. It cannot be any worse than now.”

The meeting also discussed the current situation and problems in the sports industry. The President was reported on the concept of solving these issues.

In addition, the meeting also discussed the status of reorganization of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, the steps taken to build vertical management of national teams and issues in the anti-doping field, in sports science and medicine.

According to Minister of Sport and Tourism Alexander Shamko, there are quite a few problems with the training of young athletes, development of youth sports. “We want a more high-quality training. The junior sports schools should scout the most promising young athletes rather than simply enroll,” he said. Careful attention must also be given to physical culture and sport.

The President approved the proposals on the reform of the sports industry and instructed to implement them in a short period of time. Besides, Alexander Lukashenko asked the meeting participants to hold a press conference and to inform the public about proposed approaches and innovations.