Session to discuss ice hockey development in Belarus

Commitment and results are the main priorities for Belarusian ice hockey, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said at the session held to discuss the development of this sport in the country. According to the President, the state of affairs in Belarusian ice hockey is discussed at his level not because there are great achievements in this field or, as people say, he likes to play ice hockey himself. The reason is that ice hockey and football are the most popular sports. The head of state criticized the performance of the national team at the recent IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. The results of HC Dinamo Minsk also leave much to be desired. The Belarusian ice hockey federation saw the reshuffle of senior staff. Semen Shapiro replaced Igor Rachkovsky as its chairman. He presented his view on the problems. Among the topical issues is the development of the national championship and reserve training.