Day 8

The teams of Russia and Pakistan became the winners of the International Olympiad on Climate Change and Environmental Issues (IOCE). Silver went to the team from Zimbabwe. The third place went to the teams of Qatar and India. An award ceremony for the Olympiad winners was held in Sirius.

In addition to the team competition, medals were also awarded in the individual standings — 21 awards were given out in total. Gold medals went to Taisia Tretyakova from Russia, Sibanda Betra from Zimbabwe, and Aymaan Abu Mahzoorah from Bangladesh, who became the absolute winner of the Olympiad.

Dmitry Plishkin, head of the Sirius federal territory administration addressed the Olympiad participants. He noted that the Olympiad in Sirius has a unique format: Russia creates not just a competition, but conditions for international dialogue. And its participants have done a great deal of work over eight days. The fragile beauty of the planet will depend in the future on how schoolchildren build their projects together and implement them at the highest level.

All the Olympiad participants were also congratulated by Anton Gusev, Deputy Head of the Talent and Success Educational Foundation and Director of the Sirius University of Science and Technology.

He emphasized that climate change and the growing burden on the environment are major challenges that the whole world is facing. Responding to these challenges requires fundamental knowledge, new technologies, and cooperation among researchers from different countries, which is why it is important to involve young people in solving real scientific problems from their school years. Such experience teaches them to substantiate their conclusions and to understand what still needs to be verified before proposing a solution. In addition, as Anton Gusev emphasized, it is important for Sirius that the children continue to engage in research and develop their own projects.

Each achievement has its own story behind it. Often the most serious interests begin with a single line in a school textbook.

"Back in elementary school, I learned about biodiversity from a textbook — and I became very interested in how one field influences another. That is how I first became fascinated by ecology. Winning the gold medal and the title of absolute champion is absolutely incredible, I am overwhelmed with emotion right now. The hardest part turned out to be the practical round: we worked in the mountains. But it was worth it — we had an opportunity to see the mountains from such a height! This Olympiad is not just a competition, but a full-fledged, truly valuable experience," the absolute winner of the Olympiad, Aymaan Abu Mahzoorah from Bangladesh said.

Taisia Tretyakova from the Russian team achieved a double victory — she took first place in individual competition and contributed to the overall team success.

"For me, it was an incredible opportunity to represent our country and lead it to victory. In our field, teamwork is more important than anything else, because issues of ecology and climate change require global international cooperation. And during this Olympiad I was able to master these skills," Taisia says.

The Olympiad opened new horizons of cooperation for Taisia. On the first day, at the project festival, the Russian team presented a project dedicated to energy and the use of alternative energy sources. The team found common ground with participants from Algeria — the children developed a prototype device for farmers: it repels pests and serves as an eco-friendly alternative to pesticides. The teams came up with the idea of joining forces and working on projects together in the future.

These were not the only events of the day. On the closing day of the Olympiad, the participants met with Vasily Afanasyev, Deputy General Director for International Relations and Tourism of the Rosa Khutor resort. He delivered a presentation about the resort and told the children how this territory is currently developing.

Over the days of the Olympiad, this place has become especially meaningful for the participants — it was here that the most spectacular practical round of the Olympiad took place, becoming a real scientific expedition, as well as numerous excursions, walks, and mountain climbs with fantastic views. The meeting allowed them to learn more about the history and development of this territory.