2004 programs and events

Ambassador Krol Honors Sports Elite of Belarus

Ambassador George Krol hosted a reception on June 3 to honor award -winning sports figures and other individuals associated with the promotion of sports in Belarus. Olympic champions and medallists from other international sports contests were among the more than 50 Belarusians who attended the reception "to celebrate the sporting life in Belarus" at the Ambassador's residence in Raubichi, near Minsk.

Guests included coaches, sports writers, managers of fitness centers, directors of university sports facilities, specialists in sports medicine, chess champions, gymnasts, track and field stars, biathletes, weightlifters, equestrians, skate racers, sport dancers, figure skaters, skiers, fencers, and other athletes.

In welcoming remarks, Ambassador Krol said he wanted to honor  "all sportsmen and women for what you mean to your countrymen and to all of us. As a diplomat, my job is to try to bring our people together, to find the common ground that unites all of us. As sports people you, too, share in such a responsibility for your country and for the world." Ambassador Krol also emphasized that "perhaps most of all, your hard work, preparation, dedication, perseverance and good sportsmanship are examples for all of us, Americans and Belarusians, to follow in our lives whether we engage actively in competitive sports or not."

Maria Leontyevna Itkina, 1960 Olympic Medallist in track and field, expressed appreciation to Ambassador Krol for hosting the event and described the special bond that unites people engaged in sports, regardless of citizenship or nationality. Ms. Itkina is currently Chairwoman of the Belarusian Union of Sportsmen and also chairwoman of an international union of athletes representing more than 100 countries.