More than twenty years have passed since the Soviet troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan. However, the echoes of those terrible, dreadful days still resonate with a poignant pain in the hearts of parents, relatives, and loved ones of soldiers and officers who gave their lives while fulfilling their international duty. The events of the war in distant Afghanistan have forever remained in the horrific memories of the soldiers who survived the horrors of that distant war. We bow our heads low to the courage and bravery of the internationalist soldiers and cherish the sacred memory of those who did not return from the battlefield…
We must pass on the admiration for the exploits of the brave internationalist soldiers to future generations. A tribute to their feats is the basketball tournament dedicated to the memory of the internationalist soldier Igor Solovyov, which is held annually in our district. Teams from urban and rural schools of our city and district participate in the tournament. The young men who successfully defend the honour of their educational institutions in a number of sporting events will serve in the ranks of the Armed Forces in the future, and they already possess a spirit of patriotism and readiness to defend the honour of their Motherland. This year, eight teams from all the city schools, as well as from Borovskaya, Starolyadenskaya, Slobodskaya, and Zaslonovskaya secondary schools, wished to participate in the tournament.
The solemn opening of the tournament took place in the sports hall of the Lepel Agrarian-Technical College. To support the young athletes during this crucial time of the games, the Chairman of the district organization of the public association "Belarusian Union of War Veterans of Afghanistan" Sergey Krivel and many internationalist soldiers from our district wished to attend. The Chairman of the judging panel was appointed Roman Stripeikis, Director of the state institution "Lepel District Physical Culture and Recreation Centre".
The Deputy Chairman of the District Executive Committee, Mikolai Nikitin, addressed the tournament participants with a welcoming speech. Warm wishes were extended to the young athletes by Anton Zhdanovich, Deputy Chairman of the regional organization of the Public Association "Belarusian Union of Afghan War Veterans," and Sergey Chaykun, Deputy Chairman of the republican organization of the Public Association "Belarusian Union of Afghan War Veterans." To the applause of those present, the judging panel was introduced – physical education teachers from the district's secondary schools Vladimir Sezdin, Sergey Tkachenko, Leonid Voyush, Andrey Lazovsky, physical education instructor at Lepel State Vocational Lyceum Marina Babylyova, and methodologist-instructor at the district physical culture and recreation center Natalya Shipulya.
Before the games commenced, the athletes were divided into two subgroups. In the sports hall of Lepel Agricultural and Technical College, teams from I. Ershov Gymnasium, Secondary School No. 4, as well as Borovskaya and Slobodskaya Secondary Schools were to compete. Participants from teams of Secondary Schools No. 1 and No. 3, as well as Zaslonovskaya and Starolyadenskaya Secondary Schools, vied for victory in the sports hall of Lepel State Vocational Lyceum.
The sporting contests began. Teachers and guests of the tournament closely followed the game of the young basketball players.
Indeed, the contests of the young basketball players proved to be very intense. During the games, the shouts of fans filled the hall, and physical education teachers actively encouraged their students.
Finally, the exciting moment of announcing the game results arrived. First place in the tournament was awarded to the team of Borovskaya Secondary School, second place was taken by the young basketball players of Secondary School No. 1, and third place by I. Ershov Gymnasium. The students of Zaslonovskaya Secondary School, who were awarded fourth place, also performed well in the game. The best player of the tournament was recognized as Alexander Krivets, a student of Borovskaya Secondary School.
The winning team was awarded the Challenge Cup. In addition, the teams that took prize-winning places received Diplomas from the Department of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism of the District Executive Committee, and each participant was awarded a medal. The best player of the tournament, Alexander Krivets, a student of Borovskaya Secondary School, was presented with a special prize by Andrey Pshonka, Head of the Youth Affairs Department of the District Executive Committee. The Zaslonovskaya Secondary School team, which took fourth place, was awarded a special prize by the internationalist soldier Alexander Sheinerman.
The schools of our town and district can rightfully be proud of their students, who for several years now have been defending the honour of their educational institutions at a high level. In the future, they will undoubtedly become worthy defenders of the Motherland.
Sviatlana SILVANOVICH.