Orsha united students from Belarus and Russia in Union State Spartakad.
Competitions began in the city among student youth. Teams from 16 universities - nine Russian and seven Belarusian - will compete for victories in volleyball and chess during the week.
The representative of the Standing Committee, Viktor Sirenko, conveyed greetings to the participants from the Secretary of State of the Union State, Sergey Glazeyev.
"This event is a living example of good neighborliness, mutual respect and the continuity of generations. The guys need a competitive environment, an opportunity to test their strength against worthy opponents from another country. Furthermore, we are brotherly nations," the appeal reads.
For Orsha, this is already the third Spartacade of the Union State. For 23 years, more than 17 thousand schoolchildren and students participated in the competition, and their geography covered 27 cities in Belarus and Russia.