Belarus - described three years ago by the Wall Street Journal as the emerging "Silicon Valley” of Eastern Europe" - has been widely praised for living up to its billing as it hosted the 2nd European Games that concluded last month.

Two flagbearers in last night’s European Games Closing Ceremony have revealed details of their reaction to hearing about the honour being bestowed upon them.

It was not quite the perfect ending the host nation had hoped for in the inaugural Dynamic New Athletics final here as they finished just 0.67 seconds behind Ukraine in the final race for gold - but after a stadium that looked close to its 22,246 capacity had been taken on a journey of rising hope as the hosts won five of the eight preceding events it was, broadly speaking, a great result for athletics at the 2nd European Games.

The Netherlands, Russia, Greece and Ukraine won gold medals at the track cycling that is making its European Games debut here.

Home pairing Volha Khudzenka and Maryna Litvinchuk sprung a huge surprise in canoe sprint’s women’s K2 500 metres final at the European Games today as they claimed gold against a Hungarian paring laden with gold medal experience.

Many things are still unclear about the Dynamic New Athletics (DNA) programme that is making its international debut here within the 2nd European Games.

The first public sighting of "Dynamic New Athletics" - the new format being debuted at the 2nd European Games - proved auspicious here today as it provided more than enough drama, suspense and surprise to keep a decent-sized crowd genuinely engaged through four two-hour mini-matches.

Sweden's Tommy Macias produced one of the surprise results of the day at the European Games here today as he defeated Azerbaijan’s powerful Rustam Orujov, the Rio 2016 silver medallist, to take the men's under-73 kilograms title at the Chizhovka Arena.

Twenty-year-old Lorena Wiebes, the Dutch cyclist who is having a breakthrough season, offered further evidence of her talents in winning the women’s road race on day two of the second European Games here as she finished narrowly ahead of her compatriot, the three-times world champion Marianne Vos.

The 2nd European Games set to get underway here tomorrow and run until June 30 will involve a total of 3,667 athletes from 50 nations.

Organisers of the second European Games which start here in Minsk tomorrow are hoping the Opening Ceremony will miss the worst of the bad weather that is forecast.

A total of 3,667 athletes from 50 countries will be competing at the 2^nd European Games due to start here tomorrow, it was confirmed at today’s opening press conference.

Officials have confirmed that there will be eight sports linked with Olympic qualifying at the second European Games that get underway here in Minsk tomorrow – each offering a different form of pathway to the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will be among the VIP guests for Friday's (June 21) Opening Ceremony here at the second European Games.

At Paris Charles De Gaulle airport I look behind me while checking in for the Minsk flight, and suddenly the French team are there, in their dark blue tracksuits and Olympic logo insignia. At departures two groups settle, joking and laughing in between the obligatory scanning of mobiles - boxers, and 3x3 basketball players. You can hear the excitement.