The European Championship 2018 in Kaspiysk (Russia) was very successful for the Belarusian athletes. The 10 medals of different dignity won by them testify athletes’ serious claims to the awards of even higher-level tournaments such as the 2nd European Games 2019 are.

– The European Championships in 2018 demonstrated the significant potential of the Belarusian wrestlers, – the head of the Belarusian Wrestling Federation Kamandar Madzhidov noted. – However, the 2nd European Games are considered as a very serious start and a challenge, to which you must prepare accordingly. Wrestling competitions will be held in the Olympic format – among the representatives of Greco-Roman and freestyle styles, as well as in the women’s wrestling. The Belarusian team will try to compete with its main roster.

The head coach of Belarus women’s wrestling team Oleg Raichlin admitted that only the desire to train and responsible attitude of athletes and their coaches could bring a successful result. His athlete, the newly-announced 2018 European champion in the weight category up to 55 kg Irina Kurochkina, noted how important it will be for the Belarusian wrestlers to perform well at home European games. The athlete admitted that for her the support of the spectators plays an important role during the competitions, allows to relax and concentrate on solving the tournament demands.

According to the MEGOC Sport Manager Roman Markovskij, the wrestling competitions will be held in the Sports Palace and will gather 288 athletes. Its preparation is supervised by the International Wrestling Federation. MEGOC stays in touch with the manager of the venue. For example, the number of competition days (5 or 6) is discussed. The palace will be refurbished in 2018-2019. So, it is planned to purchase a new universal platform for wrestling duels. In addition, it is planned to update the facade of the Sports Palace.

At the 1st European Games Baku 2015, Belarusian athletes won 43 medals, 8 of them in wrestling. In Azerbaijan’s capital, the leading teams presented the strongest athletes. There is a great chance that the best athletes of the continent will also come to Minsk to show their skills, which will allow spectators to get a charge of positive emotions, Kamandar Madzhidov is convinced. It is expected that the competitions will be visited by well-known athletes – Mikhail Mamiashvili and Alexander Karelin.

The wrestling competitions of the 2nd European Games is not qualifying for the Summer Olympic Games of 2020 in Tokyo. Nevertheless, it is predicted that its level will be high. The teams of Germany, Poland, Finland, Sweden, the Baltic countries are able to set up battle-worthy teams for any starts. It is also important that after the European Games 2019, the World Cup – qualifying for the upcoming Olympics-2020 will take place. To perform in Minsk prior the most important world forum will be useful in terms of acquiring additional experience and testing yourselves. To popularize and develop various types of wrestling in Belarus, the 2nd European Games are also called upon to play an important role. The students of wrestling schools will be able to watch competitions live.

European Games Executive Director Simon Clegg concluded a five-day visit to Minsk last Friday 18 May, calling his first official trip to the host city of the 2019 European Games “enlightening, educational and encouraging.”

“The first thing that struck me was the very important place sport plays in Belarusian society,” said Clegg, the former Baku 2015 Chief Operating Officer who was reappointed to his European Games role on 11 May. “After visiting every competition and training venue I am confident that Belarus has the necessary sporting infrastructure and personnel to deliver an excellent European Games next year.”

In addition to meetings with Belarus Deputy Prime Minister Vasily Zharko, Sports Minister Sergey Kovalchuk and CEO of the Minsk European Games Organising Committee (MEGOC) George Katulin, Clegg also met individually with the Director or lead of each of MEGOC’s functional areas. Clegg also met Beach Soccer’s visiting Deputy Vice-President Gabi Renales and Technical Delegate Josep Ponset who were in Minsk to review their sport’s progress.

“The venues look very impressive indeed, many having been built for the 2014 World Ice Hockey Championships, providing excellent spectator capacities and adjacent training facilities,” Clegg said. “Renovations on the few facilities requiring it are well advanced and I’m confident that the field of play will be excellent for the athletes and provide a great broadcasting backdrop.”

Clegg’s new role will see him regularly in Belarus until Games time, scheduled for 21-30 June 2019. He will continue to work closely with MEGOC for the successful delivery of the second edition of the Olympic Movement of Europe’s premier event.

In total, 4,082 athletes from all 50 European National Olympic Committees will compete in 15 sports in Minsk: 3×3 basketball, archery, athletics, badminton, beach soccer, beach volleyball, boxing, canoe sprint, cycling, judo, karate, sambo, shooting, table tennis, and wrestling. Ten of the 15 sports will act as qualifiers for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, with the European Games also counting as the official European championships for four sports.

There will be 91 men’s events, 89 women’s events and 21 mixed events in total, with 115 universality spots available. All sporting venues will be located a maximum 30 minutes’ drive from the Athletes’ Village, ensuring athletes can easily travel to training and competition facilities.

Minsk European Games Operations Committee and Synesis Sport signed an agreement today on the International Forum on information and communications technologies TIBO-2018. It was the first contract signed for the 25th-anniversary of the ICT forum TIBO.

Under the terms of the contract, the developers of Synesis Sport will create software and hardware units for the 2nd European Games needs. They also will develop new official website minsk2019.by site and mobile applications.

– Being such a complex, functional, multi-sport event as the 2nd European Games are, it sets certain goals that might be achieved according to modern standards. It also involves the processes of coordination of the various departments and areas of work of MEGOC – explained the CEO of MEGOC George Katulin. – It includes, for example, transportation management, coordination of arrival and departure, the television broadcast. It should be done according to the rules of the relevant international federations. As you know, games will involve 15 competition venues and huge infrastructure serving them. All that rely on information technologies.

– It had never happened before that Belarusian companies created IT solutions for such large-scale sports events, – said the director of Synesis Sport Dmitry Shwedko. – Our offer was several times cheaper and more innovative than the main player in the market, that was organized such events for over 30 years. We have proposed a completely new system of management and organization, which after European games can be used for any type of event. It may be Olympic Games and other forums for hundreds of thousands of spectators.

The contract provides six services covering all aspects of the forthcoming Games:

1. Timing and Scoring (in addition to the basic functionality, it includes support data transmission of the results for TV graphics, the service of drawing and qualification; service for supporting specialized social and sporting boards);
2. Games’ management system consisting of 13 services (including accreditation; accommodation management; human resources management, arrivals, and departures management, etc.). The medical management service is going to be presented. It helps to find if necessary the nearest hospitals and pharmacies. All information tied to geolocation will bring together in one mobile application;
3. Intranet;
4. Reprography (printing and copying materials at the Games’ locations);
5. Organizing and ensuring the functioning of the central technical operations, including the main operating center, service on venue technologies;
6. Ensuring the functioning of the Internet services.
7. Programs and services for each of those aspects will be created by a separate team of developers and consultants who will create unique programs and systems, and also will integrate them with the existing development.

Background:

Group of companies Synesis was founded in 2007. It is a resident of Belarus High Technologies Park and the Russian Skolkovo Fund. The offices are located in Belarus, Russia, Canada, Ireland, and Cyprus. The company owns 12 patents and 20 programs in AI, Cloud and Big Data. Synesis Sport is a part of the company.

The company produces intelligent video surveillance systems, games, and messengers. It develops platforms based on AI technology, Biometric Technologies, Big Data, and Cloud. More than 100 million people worldwide use the company’s products every day.

Development center Synesis creates technologies for major international corporations, including the design of the Alfresco system, which is used by 11 million people – including the US Department of Defense, NASA, and CISCO. Employees were working on the creation of Viber, available in 30 languages on all mobile platforms, in cooperation with Playtika it developed the most popular slot game in Slotomania world.

Synesis created a platform of safe city KIPOD. The system recognizes faces and license plates, to distinguish objects and notifies you in case of hazardous situations. KIPOD works in Moscow and Minsk subway, the Main Office of the Russian Armed Forces, it is used by the Ministry of Defense, State Customs Committee and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus and Azerbaijan. Artificial intelligence and KIPOD algorithms used in commercial networks, storage depots, and open pit mining.

Actively supporting and helping young companies, provides expertise and ready-made technologies. The portfolio of start-ups includes messenger Gem4me, social casino Gambino, marketplace for tennis Fitstarter.