“Belarusian prices are simply heaven for Russians. People like to come and visit us in Minsk” – swimmer Shimanovich

Belarusian swimmer Ilya Shimanovich told that Russians love to come and visit Minsk and Belarusian prices are considered “heavenly”.

Shimanovich, 30, is currently competing in the Russian Short Course Swimming Championships, which takes place in St. Petersburg from November 21 to 26.

— The main sport in Belarus is hockey. SO?

– I don’t know, I won’t go into those details. I follow my sport. I think it depends on where there are better results. I went to Dynamo Minsk matches several times. Now it doesn’t work anymore, I’m rarely at home. But in general, I like the hockey atmosphere. Swimming doesn’t always have that.

— This offseason, eight Russian clubs came to training camps in Minsk. They explained this to me in such a way that it is simply cheaper in Belarus and the environment is excellent.

– It’s 100 percent. I have many friends in Russia. And when they come to us, they speak very positively about the city and its cleanliness. I understand that Belarusian prices are simply paradise for Russians. They come to us all the time, it makes them very happy.

— We have “Goods from Belarus” stores all over Russia.

– I know. My wife is from Russia and her parents constantly shop in a Belarusian store. No wonder, I know everything.

— What do you think about the fact that World Aquatics has changed the rules for access to international tournaments for Russian and Belarusian athletes?

— I discovered this literally the day before yesterday. It’s great that we can now exhibit relay races. Now we can bring them together, if possible – only five Belarusians will participate in the World Cup. And I heard that now two people from our countries can perform remotely again. It’s great too.

— What impressions did you have from your trip to the Paris Olympic Games?

— The organization was good. I liked that the stands were full. Incredible support for pool athletes. This is something that hasn’t happened for a long time. You go to the starting line and you get goosebumps. But I can’t evaluate the competitions themselves – I got sick and left a day later. So my starts there didn’t work out,” Shimanovich told .

Watch live broadcasts of the Russian Short Course Swimming Championship on and the holding’s channels, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.

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