MINSK, 2 March (BelTA) - A team of the European Athletics Association (EAA) came to Minsk to evaluate Minsk's bid to host European Indoor Athletics Championship in 2019, BelTA learned from the press service of the Sport and Tourism Ministry.
The evaluation commission is chaired by Karel Pilny. This is not the first time he is visiting Minsk. He is well familiar with the state of affairs in athletics, and with the sports infrastructure of the Belarusian capital.
It is planned that the experts will visit Minsk Arena, the athletics arena of the Belarusian State University of Physical Education, and some hotels.
During a working meeting with the EAA evaluation commission Sport and Tourism Minister Alexander Shamko said that Belarus has bid to host the European Athletics Championships having carefully weighed its possibilities.
“We have a rich experience in hosting big international competitions, highly-qualified specialists who know how to organize them on a decent level, the necessary infrastructure and support at the highest state level,” said Alexander Shamko.
He stressed that the championships would attract additional attention to athletics in Belarus and contribute to the popularization of the sport at the national level.
Chairman of the Belarusian Athletics Federation Vadim Devyatovsky reiterated the federation's readiness to consider all the recommendations of the evaluation commission and ensure a high-level organization of the European championships in Minsk in case of a positive decision.
Head of the EAA evaluation commission Karel Pilny noted that Minsk has good chances for winning the right to host the event, although the other contenders in the race are also strong. The main task for the experts is to work out a detailed and objective report. The final decision will be taken in April 2016.
The 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships will take place in March. Partaking in the competitions will be nearly 700 athletes representing more than 50 European Athletics Federations.
Belarus, Poland, the Netherlands and the UK are competing for the right to host the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships.
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