MINSK, 25 May (BelTA) – Children will begin ice hockey training at the age of six in Belarus, Chairman of the Ice Hockey Federation Semyon Shapiro said after the session to discuss the development of ice hockey in the country hosted by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on 25 May, BelTA has learned.

“Our ice hockey training schools used to accept seven-year-old children. Taking into account the opinions of specialists, the Healthcare Ministry, the Sport and Tourism Ministry, the Education Ministry decided that it is possible to begin ice hockey training at the age of six. This is global experience,” Semyon Shapiro said.

To make it easier for parents to buy necessary equipment, the president gave an instruction to solve these issues, for example, to set up the production of sports uniform and other gear, for instance, ice hockey sticks in Belarus.

It is also needed encourage experienced coaches from Minsk to train youth and junior teams in regions. However, it is essential to create all conditions for their work, including decent salaries.

Besides, the head of state gave an instruction to improve the process of educating and training at ice hockey schools. As it turned out, certain directors of such schools prefer to provide services for amateur games and mass skating. As a result, the quality of training of young ice hockey players is worsening because they have less time for training.