Belarus' Gomel Oblast has a well-developed sports infrastructure, so it may become a training ground for Italian athletes, President of the YRA Humanitarian Association Egidio Lazzarini said as he met with Gomel Oblast authorities on 4 November. A delegation of businessmen and civil servants working in the field of sport from the Italian province of Tuscany, led by Egidio Lazzarini, is currently on a visit to Belarus' Gomel Oblast, BelTA has learned.
Egidio Lazzarini met with Deputy Chairman of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee Boleslav Pirshtuk. He praised the sports infrastructure in the Belarusian region and noted that some of the training centers can provide services of a better quality than similar Italian centers. "This is why we have plans to return to Gomel in early 2016 with a delegation of heads of sports teams and federations. Our aim is to reach the practical level of cooperation," he pointed out.
For example, Gomel Oblast training centers may welcome Italian tennis, swimming, rowing and canoeing teams.
Egidio Lazzarini also lauded the successful cooperation between the two regions in youth sports. In recent years, the regions have exchanged delegations of young athletes in rhythmic gymnastics, mini basketball, and biathlon. Performances of Belarusian gymnasts at international competitions in Italy left a very good impression. "Many of the parents of the athletes travel together with children's teams to Belarus. This promotes tourism and fosters friendly relations between our peoples," he said.
In turn, Boleslav Pirshtuk thanked the Italian public organizations for organizing recuperation trips for kids from Gomel Oblast in Italy. "The assistance is especially important for the districts that were worst affected by the Chernobyl accident. We welcome the level of people's diplomacy and of friendship between residents of our oblast and your regions. We hope that the groundwork we have done in the social field will be used successfully in the field of economy," he said.