International Competitions in Belarus

In recent years Belarus has hosted many high-profile international competitions, including the 2nd European Games; the Match Europe v USA; world championships in ice hockey, summer biathlon, track cycling, Muay Thai, powerlifting; European championships in rhythmic gymnastics, speed skating, biathlon, sambo, boxing, modern pentathlon, water skiing, indoor hockey, chess.

2014 IIHF World Championship

Symbol of the 2014 World Hockey Championship in Minsk
Belarus played host to its first IIHF World Championship in 2014. Competing in the tournament were 16 teams. Volat the Bison was the official mascot of the championship. Belarus offered a visa-free entry for official participants of the tournament and foreign tourists for the period of the championship from 25 April to 31 May. The appropriate decree was signed by the head of state. The 2014 IIHF World Championship recorded the highest overall attendance of 640,044.

2019 ISU European Figure Skating Championships

The multi-purpose cultural and sports complex Minsk Arena hosted the 2019 ISU European Figure Skating Championships. On 23-27 January 2019. Partaking in the 111th European championships were over 100 figure skaters. Belarusian skaters produced the highest results in ice dance.

The Match Europe v USA

During the opening ceremony
On 9-10 September 2019, the National Olympic Stadium Dinamo in Minsk hosted The Match Europe v USA. A star-studded meeting brought together many world and Olympic champions, young talents. Partaking in the sports event were about 350 athletes, including 14 Belarusians as part of Team Europe.

2019 European Games

II European Games of 2019 in the Republic of Belarus
Belarus was granted the right to host the 2nd European Games in 2019 after a vote at the 45th General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) in Minsk on 21 October 2016.

The Flame of Peace Relay was held prior to the tournament. The torch lighting ceremony took place in Rome on 3 May. Within 50 days the torch traveled a total of 7,700km and reached the summit of Mont Blanc. In Europe, the Flame of Peace went through Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland. The torch also traveled through cities and landmarks of Belarus.

The 2nd European Games were held on 21-30 June. Over 3,500 athletes from 50 countries competed in 200 medal events in 15 sports (23 disciplines) and also for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics berths.

Dinamo Stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the European Games. Competitions were held at the country’s best sport arenas.

The European Games were the first tournament of such a scale hosted by Belarus as a sovereign state. Experts from various countries praised the organization of the 2019 European Games, the country’s infrastructure, as well as its hospitality. They noted that Belarus is able to host events of a bigger format.

About 37,500 tourists visited the country during the games. Team Belarus placed second in the overall standings with 23 gold, 16 silver and 29 bronze medals.