August 21: CITIC Construction Company, one of China's largest civil engineering companies, announced that it has become the first Chinese partner of the Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation.
The partnership, which runs through the 2017-2018 season, is aimed to promote the development of children's and youth ice hockey.
According to a BelTA report, the company has donated $50,000 to to support Belarus in ice hockey for children and teenagers. The investment will help improve ice hockey facilities, which will mean that CCTV systems are expected to be installed to evaluate the training quality in ice hockey schools.
Semyon Shapiro, Chairman of the Belarusian Ice Hockey Federation, is grateful for CITIC Construction’s endeavor in Belarusian ice hockey. He said, Byelorussia is quite impressed by the development of ice hockey in China. Two former Belarusian national players have joined the Beijing ice hockey team, HC Kunlun Red Star. Because China has seen dramatic growth in many sports, ice hockey will be able to make great progress in China.
Yang Jianqing, Assistant General Manager of CITIC Construction, stated that they have participated in many local projects with the help of local governments and organizations. The partnership, as part of the company’s social responsibility, will make CITIC Construction the first Chinese firm involved with ice hockey in Byelorussia.
Proofread by William Logsdon