European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen travelled to Minsk to observe the final of the fifth staging of the ‘300 Talents for the Queen’ project, a popular and far-reaching youth athletics initiative which involves almost every school in Belarus.
The project reaches an estimated 200,000 schoolchildren throughout the country each year, culminating in the final which is held in Minsk each December. The final was held at the Athletic Arena of the Belarusian State University of Physical Education in Minsk, bringing together 300 children representing teams from around the country.
The boys’ and girls’ competitions were both won by teams representing Gomel but the principal purposes of the initiative are participation and enjoyment. Teams took part in a varied and stimulating programme of events which included a mixed and shuttle relay, ball throw, 30 hurdles and rope jump and they were cheered on not only by President Hansen but also by high jumpers Karyna Demidik and Maksim Nedasekau, the reigning European U23 champion
“The Belarus Athletic Federation has demonstrated they can organise excellent international competitions this summer but I also applaud the federation for their efforts in other areas of the sport, including youth athletics,” said President Hansen.
“The reach of this programme is significant and something to be extremely proud of. I am pleased the project is just as well supported now as it was in 2016 when I had the honour to attend the final for the first time and I hope many of the boys and girls who have participated will be inspired to remain involved in athletics.”
This project was launched in 2015 and was initiated by Belarus Athletic Federation jointly with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Sports and Tourism in Belarus. Along with Belarus Athletic Federation President Vadim Devyatovskiy, the Minister of Sports and Tourism Sergei Kovalchuk was also in attendance for the final.
“The primary goal for us is to attract children to athletics. The ‘300 Talents for the Queen’ is a unique project that should be viewed as a basis for the development of other sports. It helps to attract boys and girls to sports,” said Kovalchuk.