MINSK, 4 August (BelTA) – Athletes from Kyrgyzstan, competing in a number of sports, and the Russian beach football and volleyball teams were greeted at Minsk National Airport on 4 August, BelTA has learned.
Team Kyrgyzstan comprise shooting, archery, athletics, weightlifting, boxing, handball, Greco-Roman wrestling teams. Belarusian volunteers helped them get accredited.
This is the first visit to Belarus for many athletes from Kyrgyzstan. “We’ve come to win medals, we are ready to do it. We want to win medals, and see Belarusian cities, local sights, learn more about the country,” assistant head coach of the junior boxing team Aziz Abaskhanov said.
The athletes are fully determined to show great results in the competitions. “We have a competitive spirit and are aiming at gold medals,” one of the members of the boxing team Zakir Koshaliev said.
Honored coach of Kyrgyzstan, master of sports in weightlifting Esenzhan Mainazarov visited Belarus during the Soviet era and is now happy to have the opportunity to come back. “It was very good here then. Now we will go and see: it has probably got even better. The delegation of Kyrgyzstan comprises more than 220 people. We have received a great welcome. We will do our best to win medals at the 2nd CIS Games,” he said.
Kyrgyzstan’s honored master of sports in weightlifting Azizbek Kuikeev arrived as a judge for the weightlifting competition. He admitted that he was a student of the legendary Soviet weightlifter Valery Shariy. “I have been here many times, including Grodno. I know Belarus very well,” Azizbek Kuikeev said.
The Russian beach football and volleyball teams were greeted at the airport almost immediately after the arrival of the Kyrgyzstan’s delegation.
“The Russian beach football team always compete for the first places. I hope we will have the same luck as it was in St. Petersburg. The athletes had a good training camp, and they are ready to win,” team captain Anton Shkarin said. “This is not our first time at the stadium in Minsk. We know the city and love it. And the city loves us back.”
