"FLAME OF PEACE" CONQUERS MONT BLANC

MAY 07 2019

Belarusian climbers, led by Alexander Godlevsky, have successfully scaled the highest point of Europe - Mont Blanc! A raging snow storm whipped the brave explorers as they climbed up with the "Flame of Peace" but their desire to raise the Flame of the upcoming European Games over the entire European continent proved stronger than the difficult weather conditions.

At approximately 8 p.m. Minsk time on May 6, the mountaineering group descended from the summit.

Denis Zhidkov, mountaineer:

"The weather served us a handful of surprises during the climb. There were very strong winds, which significantly slowed down our progress. We had to fight them with difficulty. Such strong gusts of wind and at such a great height drain you a lot. You lose your focus for a mere second and already end up losing a piece of your equipment. We have had to face different types of difficulties, perhaps excluding technical ones. We had explored the route a lot beforehand so there were no surprises there. When we lit the torch at the very top, we immediately felt a sense of pride for the 2nd European Games, for our country and for ourselves. And, I won’t deny it, there was also a sense of happiness that we could now go back down."

Straight after the descent, the "Flame of Peace" was delivered to Courmayeur’s City Hall where the Belarusian delegation was again met by the mayor of the city, Stefano Miserocchi.

The "Flame of Peace" managed to brave the elements thanks to a box that keeps it safe from these kinds of difficulties. After a welcome ceremony, the Flame was once again passed on to the bikers who will take it to the next stop on the relay route - Ljubljana, Slovenia.

"Yesterday was the fourth day of the ‘Flame of Peace’ relay, and it ended on a high note. One of the central moments of the foreign part of the relay took place yesterday. The Flame of the 2nd European Games ascended Mont Blanc. This is very encouraging. Not a lot of time has passed, but we’ve already had two big ceremonies, which have given people a lot of joy. We feel that our efforts are not in vain. The ‘Flame of Peace’ is a fantastic relay. It underlines the status of the 2nd European Games and allows many people outside our country to get to know Belarus better."

Thanks for the hospitality, Mont Blanc!

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