The Republican Center for Olympic Training in Winter Sports Raubichi is a multi-functional sports complex and a center for Olympic winter sports located in a picturesque place 20 kilometers away from Minsk city and Minsk national airport in close proximity to the M3 Highway (Minsk-Vitebsk).
The sports complex "Raubichi" drives its name from a nearby village. Territory where the sports complex is located is often referred to as the “Belarusian Switzerland”. It is surrounded by unique and inimitable nature sights: scenic hills left by glaciers, the clear waters of the Usyazh River and the blue mirror of the Dubrovskoye reservoir. One of the scenic hills is crowned by Krestogorsk Roman catholic church where now The Museum of the Belarusian Folk Art and concert hall are located.
The history of sports complex begins in 1972, when the International Biathlon Federation made a decision to hold the Biathlon World Championship in the Soviet Union. The official opening was held on January 24, 1974. The design was developed by chief architect V.N. Aladov.
The combination of landscape features and climatic conditions as well as closed location to the city and the airport worked towards for choosing a territory nearby the Belarusian village Raubichi, which gave the name to the sports center later.
In 1982 the sports complex Raubichi was awarded by the golden sign of UIPMB.
In 1996 the International Biathlon Union assigned the «A» category to the complex by issuing a license for holding competitions of the highest level without any limits.
As a result of renovation in 2009-2014 a number of new facilities were built and the existing buildings were modernized. The territory of the complex was landscaped. Raubichi was reshaped and became one of the best sports complexes in the world in the opinion of the international specialists.
On February 13, 2015 Alexander Lukashenko visited the sports complex. The President of the Republic of Belarus gave parting words for fruitful work for the good of sports and the country.
The Republican Center for Olympic Training in Winter Sports Raubichi hosted the following high-level sports events:
1974, 1976, 1982 and 1990 – The Biathlon World Championships;
1999 and 2019 - The Summer Biathlon World Championship;
1998, 2004, 2019 and 2020 – The Biathlon European Championships;
1991 – The FIS Cross-Country World Cup;
1995,2006 and 2020 – The European Freestyle Cup;
2016, 2017 and 2019 - The Eastern European Cross-Country Skiing Cup;
2020 - The IBU Biathlon Cup stage.
The sports complex has everything required for accomoda full-fledged training process for athletes including: a 20 km ski trail, biathlon shooting ranges with 36 and 10 targets, a freestyle slope, sports hall, aerobic workout hall, gym, basketball and tennis courts, beach volleyball and football courts, football pitch with the artificial surface, and an indoor skating rink that has become widely used for holding hockey, speed-skating competitions and other ice sports contests.
