International Tournament “Cup of Two Lakes”: INRTU Wins and Signs a Trilateral Agreement
The III International Ball Hockey Tournament “Cup of Two Lakes” was held in Maksimikha settlement on February 17. Following the results of three spectacular matches, the INRTU team won the Cup, the Republic of Buryatia took the silver medal, and Mongolia earned the bronze.
The Cup is organized by the Student Sport Ball Hockey League, the Ministry of Sport and Youth Policy of the Republic of Buryatia, and the Buryat Regional Branch of the Russian Student Sports Union. The tournament, which has become traditional, is dedicated to the 44th anniversary of the Soviet-Mongolian flight into space. The organizing committee is headed by the first cosmonaut of Mongolia Zhugdardemidine Gurragcha.
According to Mikhail Korniakov, Rector of INRTU and President of the Student Sport Ball Hockey League, Buryatia welcomed the participants with sunny weather. He also wished the youth teams that the games would be held in a positive and friendly environment.
INRTU players made a serious bid for victory already during the first match, when they outplayed the Mongolian team with the score 13:6. The next game of Mongolian players with the team fr om the Republic of Buryatia also ended not in their favor (16:2). The final game was the match between the INRTU team and the Buryatia team, wh ere the latter demonstrated a real determination, but lost with the score 9:5.
INRTU player Denis Chubenko said that the tournament was very successful for his team:
“We got a serious resistance from two teams. It is obvious that the opponents were really prepared for the competition and not ready to concede.
It was the first time I took part in the Cup and I was very impressed – cool guys from Mongolia and Buryatia, a good ice field with a beautiful view of the mountains”.
This year, all players noted the serious growth of the Buryatia team, which is coached by Pavel Andrashchuk. According to him, this is the third year he has been forming a team for the Cup. Coach Andrashchuk noted that Buryatia's players show great interest in the international tournament, so there is healthy competition and strict selection.
Mongolian team coach Zhargal Banzgrach expressed his gratitude to the organizers and stressed that every year the matches become more and more interesting, the teams are stronger, and the quality of the ice surface is improving.
Within the framework of the tournament, a cooperation agreement was signed, opening new prospects for the development of student ball hockey. The document was signed by Mikhail Korniakov, Ivan Kozyrev, Minister of Sport and Youth Policy of the Republic of Buryatia, and Viktor Vlasov, Chairman of the Buryat Regional Branch of the Russian Student Sports Union. The guests noted that the games of youth teams on the ice of Lake Baikal can already be called a trademark and such international competitions help to develop student sports.
The program of the tournament was complemented by performances of creative groups of the Republic of Buryatia. Rector of INRTU Mikhail Korniakov and Rector of East Siberian State University of Technology and Management, guest of the Cup Igor Sizov supported the hockey atmosphere by coming out on the ice with hockey sticks.
It is planned that the IV “Cup of Two Lakes” will be held on Lake Khubsugul in Mongolia in 2026.
