MINSK, 22 February (BelTA) – President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko attended a sport festivity Minsk Ski-Run-2010 in Raubichi on 20 February. The Belarusian President took part in a relay race, BelTA learnt from the presidential press service. President’s team won the race with the best result – 23 minutes and 11 seconds. After the race Alexander Lukashenko talked to media and commented upon both the festivity and the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. The Belarusian President said that he is satisfied with the medals that Belarusian athletes have already won. But, on the other hand, Alexander Lukashenko criticized other results of Belarusian athletes. “I am estimating the performance in Vancouver not in terms of medals. The medals are a good thing. But I want to take a look inside: we have not demonstrated those results we could have achieved, taking into account the attention that is paid to sports in Belarus,” said the Belarusian President. “Belarus hockey team should not have suffered such a failure. The players play very poorly. It appears that the coaching staff and the hockey federation have not done their job well.” “The skiers show dreadful results. And it is not the first year that Belarusian skiers suffer a defeat. There is no comprehensive approach. Is it impossible to select 20 or 30 new capable skiers?” added the Belarusian President. “What concerns freestyle skiing, Belarus may win something if the referees grant a favor,” Alexander Lukashenko said. The Belarusian athletes lack the maneuverability that even the neighbor nations may demonstrate sometimes, according to Belarus’ President. “The Vancouver Olympics are the subject of a serious analysis and concrete conclusions,” stressed the President. At the same time, Alexander Lukashenko said that he had foreseen such a performance at the Olympics, but he hoped for the best. “The best happened in biathlon,” he said. The President is confident that Belarusian athletes can show far greater performance in all sports. Apart from the sports events, Raubichi hosted an entertainment program. It included the Wildcat of the Year beauty contest, the Belarusian Powerful Men-2010 competition and other events.

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