'Injured knee'. How Lukashenka's team wins amateur ice hockey tournament


The Belarus President’s team won their ninth gold the 12th Christmas Amateur Ice Hockey Tournament in Minsk after defeating Finland (2:1) in the final game on Thursday.

The organizers of the event are the President’s Sports Club, the Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation, the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, and the Minsk City Hall.

When asked by reporters why he took the ice not often during the second and third period, Alyaksandr Lukashenka answered:

“I’m playing due to being injected. I got my knee injured in the second game, that is why i seldom took the ice, I did not want to be a hindrance for the team. The coach decided to play in three triples – there were the fastest and best playesr. We never do it for the sake of eye service, we do work, and the main person in the team is not the head of state, but the coach.”

Earlier, Belarus won in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2014. Russia clinched the title in 2007, 2011, and 2015.

Despite the fact that the tournament has the ‘amateur’ status, this year there have been seven professional players in Lukashenka’s team.

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