We all know how difficult it is for athletes fr om the Belgorod Oblast to fully train due to the challenging conditions there. Despite this, athletes fr om this region consistently show outstanding results in major deaf sports competitions.

This year, the situation has greatly improved thanks to the efforts of Yuri Shashnin, the chairman of the regional federation, and the direct support of our management at ARSFSD and the sports training centre. All the necessary conditions for sports training outside the region have been created for the athletes. In June and August, they held training camps in Alushta, the Republic of Crimea, and on Krugloe Lake in the Moscow region.

Most recently, from 20 September to 10 October, 40 Belgorod basketball players, under the guidance of two coaches, had the opportunity to hold a training camp at the Republican basketball training base "OKA" in Aleksin, Tula Oblast.

These training camps were essential for the older players, born between 2004 and 2007, to be together with the youngest, who were born in 2016. The younger players had more time and opportunity to observe the clear technique of the older ones and try to perform all the actions correctly.

Basketball coaches Gennady Kovalenko and Denis Zelensky used a wide range of work forms in the training process. This allowed them to:

·         Restore the functional abilities of the athletes.

·         Increase the level of general and specific physical training.

·         Gradually increase the volume and intensity of training loads.

During the training camp, the athletes not only exercised daily but also studied remotely and learned about the sights of other regions on weekends.

On September 28-29, at the end of the Week of the Deaf, thanks to the support of the Tula regional branch of ARSD, the children had the opportunity to visit the city of Tula with an excursion programme.

Since Tula is known as the capital of weapons, the Belgorod children first visited the Museum of Weapons. It is a large modern interactive museum with many different exhibits. With the help of Inna Strebkova, the guide and RSL interpreter, the children learned many interesting facts. The museum displays weapons and armour from different centuries, some of which are so finely crafted that they can be considered real works of art. The children were particularly impressed by the film presentation of heroic deeds projected onto the ceiling of the dome.

Then, they traveled along the banks of the Upa River to the Tula Kremlin, wh ere a concert dedicated to the Day of the Deaf was held. Various creative groups performed songs in sign language and dances. We went for a walk, talked to Tula people, and bought souvenirs. But the day was not over. After the concert, our fellow countrymen visited the office of the Tula regional branch of ARSD, wh ere they got to know the premises and the staff.

After 21 days of intensive training, the athletes were prepared for the upcoming events: the Russian Basketball Championship, which will be held in Yaroslavl, the All-Russian Spartakiad in basketball, swimming, and athletics in Saransk, and the Russian Basketball Cup, which will take place in the Krasnodar Krai, village Supsekh.

We wish them success!                                                                                                             

Text: Nurlan Tazhigulov
Photo: Gennady Kovalenko
Translation: Daria Kudelina