Vitebsk will develop figure skating: in the coming years, a figure skating centre and an indoor training ice arena will appear in the city. Oleg Matskevich, First Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, spoke about the sports facilities today at a press conference, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
The initiative to build the training arena came from the Belarusian-Czech enterprise LLC "Ice Ring Technology". This will be the first indoor ice arena in the Vitebsk region built with private company funds and attracted investments. The total project cost will be around 2 million euros. Currently, the investment agreement project is undergoing approval, and pre-project work is also underway.
It is planned that the ice arena, which will be a multifunctional sports and training complex operating year-round, will be built in 2021. The design of the facility will take into account all the most modern technologies and the specifics of the training process for top-level athletes.
The complex will include an ice rink, a cafe, choreography and gym rooms equipped with special simulators that develop balance. Of particular note is the technological component of the arena project – a comprehensive integrated system for preparing, transporting, and utilising energy resources, which allows for significant savings and rational resource consumption during the building's operation. The technology will reduce the arena's operating costs by 7-8 times compared to similar facilities.
Another important feature of the ice rink will be the ability to quickly change the temperature regime of the ice surface. For professional figure skaters, this characteristic is key when practising the most complex elements.
Concurrently, a Figure Skating Centre named after Natalia Bestemianova and Igor Bobrin will be established at the training ice arena currently under construction. The renowned athletes, who attended the press conference, emphasized their readiness to undertake all aspects of the training process organisation, personally oversee this work, and select coaching staff. It is planned that these will be experienced coaches and choreographers, including those attracted from Russia. "We will come here at least once a month, or more often if needed, to organise the entire training process, provide consultations, and conduct joint training sessions," emphasised Natalia Bestemianova. "Our goal is to create a modern professional figure skating school in Vitebsk, utilising advanced athlete training methods and technologies."
The recruitment of young athletes for the initial training groups is scheduled for September 2020. Currently, approximately 40 children have the opportunity to engage in figure skating in Vitebsk; however, with the project's implementation, this number is expected to increase to 200. As noted by Svetlana Golovkina, Chairperson of the Vitebsk Region Figure Skating Federation, the primary factors hindering the development of figure skating in Vitebsk are the shortage of ice time and experienced coaching staff. "This project will help resolve these issues," she stated confidently.
Outside of figure skating training hours, the arena will be utilised for other sports, hosting competitions of various levels, and public ice skating sessions. The project participants are confident in the facility's utilisation, given that the current city Sports Palace operates at 166% capacity, with its ice being used even outside of regular working hours.
Oleg Matskevich expressed his conviction that the project will provide a significant impetus for the development of figure skating in Vitebsk and expand opportunities for young people to participate in winter sports. Furthermore, it serves as a prime example of effective public-private partnership, as one of the project participants is SOOO "Nativita". Since 2017, the company has been independently funding the "Talenvita" project to support talented youth in science and sports, and also provides sponsorship to the Beach Soccer Federation and the Vitebsk Region Figure Skating Federation. -0-
News of Belarus (BELTA)