The first test event for next year’s European Games Minsk 2019 came to a successful conclusion in the Belarusian capital yesterday, 5 July.

Belarus beat Italy 6-5 in the final of the fourth stage of the 2018 Euro Beach Soccer League (EBSL) in front of a capacity crowd at the national beach soccer stadium, which opened last week after two months of construction. The stadium will be the only non-existing venue to be used at Minsk 2019, demonstrating the host nation’s commitment to organising a highly sustainable Games.

With only the Shooting Centre left to be renovated, Minsk 2019 is almost entirely ready to host the 2^nd European Games with just under 11 months to go until the 21-30 June 2019 multi-sports event.

Minsk will host 11 test events in 2018 and 11 more in 2019. The next test events to be held later this month are the Minsk Grand Prix and Minsk Cup international gymnastics competition, the European Judo Open, and the Belarus Shotgun Shooting Open Championship.

“The test events mean we are getting closer to the start of Minsk 2019. That is an exciting prospect but one that also means we will need to be at our very best operationally already in one month’s time,” said CEO of the Minsk European Games Organising Committee (MEGOC) George Katulin. “This will be the perfect opportunity to show what we can do as an organisation, as a city, and as a country, while also learning valuable lessons about where we can make improvements ahead of 21 June 2019.”

Four teams in total took part in the fourth stage of the EBSL which also included Poland and Turkey. The EBSL is a continental championship featuring the 12 best men’s national teams and the tournament is doubling as a qualifier for next year’s European Games. In addition to the host country Belarus, the six best teams will take part in the Games, as well as the winner of Division B. If Belarus finishes in the top six of Division A, the seventh-place team will also earn a berth to Minsk 2019.

Belarus captain and tournament MVP Igor Brishtel thanked the home crowd for their boisterous support during the three-day event. “I am really happy to be named MVP, but the main goal for me is the team victory. In the past we had two or three strong players on our team but now our level has improved and everyone on the team has an influence on the result. We showed the fans that beach soccer is alive and well in our country. We hope the EBSL will hold stages in Belarus every year from now on, and we are very much looking forward to next year’s European Games.”

With the victory, Belarus currently tops the standings with 13 points, followed by Portugal and Ukraine on 12 points each.

For all the tables, scores and other statistics, click here.