The Vitebsk region has resumed the awarding of scholarships to athletes for high achievements. This decision was made at the seventh extraordinary session of the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
The Vitebsk region has resumed the awarding of scholarships to athletes for high achievements. This decision was made at the seventh extraordinary session of the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
According to Vasily Zakharevich, Head of the Department of Sports and Tourism of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, scholarships were previously paid to athletes for many years and ceased due to discrepancies in sectoral and financial legislation from January 2017. This year, a number of legislative documents regulating this area have been issued, which has allowed this practice to be resumed.
To this end, a regional commission on the payment of scholarships to leading athletes of the region was established. The commission received 226 nominations for athletes applying for scholarships from physical culture and sports organizations, secondary schools, and Olympic reserve colleges. Based on the review of the documents, the commission identified 100 athletes in 17 Olympic and 4 non-Olympic sports who will be awarded scholarships. Payments of varying amounts (depending on the significance of sporting achievements) will be made from funds allocated in the regional budget for physical culture and sports. For now, scholarships will be awarded for four months; at the beginning of 2019, deputies will reconsider this issue with the aim of extending the award period to one year.
Following the results of 2017, athletes from the region won 136 medals in the international arena (this is the second highest figure among regions in the country). Since the beginning of 2018, they have added 139 medals to the region's tally. "The awarding of personal scholarships to leading and promising athletes of the region is an important incentive factor in their training," noted Vasily Zakharevich.
The Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies, Vladimir Terentyev, emphasized that much is currently being done in the region to develop the infrastructure and the base of sports facilities. New facilities are being built for both the general population and for elite sports. "To ensure that real athletes train there, support must be provided. This is especially important for young athletes who are just beginning to show their first significant results," the head of the region's deputy corps is convinced.