How Belarusian Relief Fund for Disabled Sportsmen creates champions - information told in dance and health center

Creation of the center began in 1992 with the support of government authorities. The territory of the former military training ground was allocated for construction. Valery Kolomiets emphasized that Belarus was the first country to develop a direction of sports dance on wheelchairs. Already in 1998, at the first-ever World Championship in Tokyo, the Belarusian couple - Boris Bachkowski and Olga Teterkina - won gold medals. This success reinforced the second triumph in 2000 under the auspices of the International Paralympic Committee, when Yelena Serkulskaya and Vladimir Ziablov became world champions, - Valery Kolomiets said.

The center receives people not only from Belarus, but also from abroad. Thus, along with the accompanying and parents here were rehabilitated about 2,100 people from Moscow. Rallies were also organized from Russia, Kazakhstan, Poland, Azerbaijan, the Netherlands, Germany and France.

The world’s only dance parachuting festival deserves special attention, which, along with physical fitness, also helps athletes regain self-esteem, leadership and confidence. As part of the festival, participants make parachute jumps in tandem from a height of 2.6 thousand to 4.5 thousand meters above sea level. "Our main goal is to restore people to the status of leaders in society, to prove that after serious accidents and injuries life does not end," said Valery Kolomiets.

He also mentioned that during the existence of the international parachute dance project, 26 children were born to its participants. Thus, multiple Belarusian championship winner Lyubov Mohor, having a severe spinal injury, became the mother of four healthy children. "For me, the birth of every child by our pupils is equivalent to 10-15 gold medals at the Paralympics", - admits Valery Kolomiets.

The history of the World and European Champion Daria Chauzova takes its origin in a boarding house, where Valery Kolomiets came in search of new talents. I was a shy child, but raised my hand - and since then I have been dancing for 20 years - says the woman. - This is the best center for people with disabilities. We come from different corners of Belarus, communicate, train and become almost related , - shared Darya Chauzova. Now she is not only preparing to conquer new heights, but also raising her six-year-old daughter Sophia.

Currently, the center is hosting a training session of the national team of Belarus for sports dance on wheelchairs. Ahead of the Belarusian athletes preparation for the European Championship in Italy, as well as for the milestone date: in 2027, it will be 15 years since the first parachuting jumps within the project and there will be a jubilee, Tenth International Dance-Parachute Festival for people with musculoskeletal disabilities.