Mikhail Zakharau: When They Say We Have Many Ice Arenas, It Makes Me Laugh. We Need At Least 100

One of the instructors of the national hockey team has demanded to increase the number of ice palaces.

It is necessary to revise the approach to the development of children's hockey and build even more ice arenas in Belarus. Mikhail Zakharau, the head coach of Minsk Yunasts and one of the national hockey team instructors said that on the air of the TV channel Belarus 1, BelTA informs.

In his opinion, one of the main reasons for the Belarusian hockey crisis is the insufficient development of children's hockey.

– I talk a lot to the chairman of the Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation Siamion Shapira, he understands that we must reconsider our approaches to the development of children's hockey. The main thing is to revise the approaches to children's hockey and, I think, everything will be fine. And there are not enough skating rinks. When they say that we have a lot of ice arenas, it makes me laugh. This is not 350, as in Sweden. In our country, with a population of 10 million, there must be at least 100 ice rinks, – Mikhail Zakharau said.

The national hockey team of Belarus suffered six consecutive defeats in Group A at the World Championships in Denmark and did not stay in the elite division for the first time since 2005.