Vitebsk, 4 July /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. The 4th open International Beach Soccer Tournament "Friendship Cup-2013" kicks off in Vitebsk today, the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee informed BELTA.
The sports competition will take place at the stadium in the flood plain of the Vitba River. National teams from Iran, UAE, Turkey, Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus are participating. The competition will be officiated by FIFA referees from Belarus, UAE, Iran, Poland, and Ukraine. The tournament commentator is Vladimir Novitsky, Head of the Sports Broadcasting Directorate of the Belarusian Television and Radio Company.
Since 2010, national beach soccer teams from Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Poland, and Moldova have competed in Vitebsk. The current representative line-up of participants and referees testifies to the international recognition of Belarus, where beach soccer is actively developing. Significant successes of our national team in high-level European and international competitions serve as confirmation of this.
The tournament is held under the auspices of FIFA, the Association "Belarusian Football Federation," and the Association "Beach Soccer Federation." Currently, FIFA and the Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW) are considering the possibility of holding the UEFA European Beach Soccer League qualifying stage in Belarus. -0-