MAI Became a Champion at the Snow Rugby Tournament
On February 23, 2019, two MAI rugby teams took part in the open sports festival “Snow Rugby – 2019”. The festival was held in Kazan, organized by Kazan National Research Technological University (KNRTU) and Rugby Club "Strela".
The main objective of the festival was to popularize and develop of such sport as snow rugby among young people. 11 student teams took part in the tournament: 8 men's and 3 women's. MAI was presented by “MAI – 1” (main division) and "MAI – 2" (international students) rugby teams. The athletes were accompanied by their coach Valery Khromenkov.
The special guests of the festival were Waisale Serevi, legendary Fijian and head coach of the Russian national Rugby-7 team, and Rafis Burganov, Vice Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan and Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Tatarstan.
The game was tense and consisted of two rounds and a match for the first place. The teams fought hard for the title of festival’s champion. They played in frosty conditions: at the beginning of the competition it was -10°С, in the middle of the games it was -15°С and it began to snow.
The tournament results were the following among men's teams:
1. MAI-1
2. Volga Region State Academy of Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism
3. KNRTU
Among women's teams:
1. Volga Region State Academy of Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism
2. KNRTU
3. Kazan State Medical University
Both MAI teams showed excellent results: the MAI-1 team took the first place at the “Snow Rugby – 2019” and received the champion cup. The MAI – 2 rugby team, consisted of international students, took the 4thplace at the tournament. Dmitry Bryksin (MAI-1) and Yaroslav Volkov (KNRTU) were recognized as the best players of the rugby festival!
“The situation at the tournament was combat: the teams did not want to give up every point to the opponent. There was a persistent competitive spirit and the tension with each game only intensified. The tournament was held at an extremely high level. Clear organization, eminent guests and a tough fight.” – noted Alexey Bochenko, specialist of the International Students’ Educational Center of MAI .
MAI teams not only defended the honor of the university, but also had a chance to explore such beautiful city as Kazan and visit its famous mosques.
