24 January, Vitebsk /Sergey Kochetov - BELTA/. About 100 rescuers will take part in the Belarusian Ministry of Emergency Situations cross-country skiing championship, which will be held in Novopolotsk from 26 to 28 January, the propaganda and training centre at the regional department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations informed a BELTA correspondent. The competition will bring together 11 teams representing all regional departments, republican units and educational institutions of the ministry. Rescuers will compete in 5 disciplines. The championship programme includes a 1.2 km sprint race, individual men's races of 5 and 10 km, and women will compete over a 5 km distance. The final event of the championship will be a 4x5 km relay race. Winners and prize-winners will traditionally be awarded prizes and valuable gifts. Based on the results of the championship, the best skiers will be included in the MES team for the Belarusian Physical Culture and Sports Association "Dynamo" cross-country skiing championship. Vitebsk region will host the MES cross-country skiing competition for the seventh time, but the starts will be organised in Novopolotsk for the first time at the Novopolotsk Olympic Reserve School. According to specialists, this is due to the high quality of the track preparation in Novopolotsk and the more developed infrastructure for organising such competitions, which allows for high results from the participants. Several teams, including the Vitebsk regional and Minsk city departments, as well as the MES retraining and professional development institute, will start as unofficial favourites. -0-

BELTA