The past year, 2025, went down in the history of the Belarusian National Technical University as a time of triumphant victories and outstanding achievements. To relive these moments, we've prepared overviews of the most significant events in each field. First up is sports.
First Place in the 2024/25 Republican Universiade
BNTU athletes once again demonstrated their will to win at the 2024/25 Republican Universiade. Polytechnic University teams competed in 40 Universiade events across 27 sports. Twenty teams won or placed in 20 sports. As a result, the country's leading technical university emerged victorious in the first, strongest group, scoring 1,794 points in the overall standings.
Anton Smolskiy's Victory in the Pursuit Race at the Third Stage of the Commonwealth Cup
Anton Smolskiy, a Master's student in the Instrument Engineering Faculty, demonstrated a top-class performance at the third stage of the Commonwealth Cup in Tchaikovsky. Starting the 12.5 km distance in sixth position, the biathlete flawlessly completed all shooting ranges and crossed the finish line first. This triumph allowed him to strengthen his lead in the overall Commonwealth Cup standings.
It's worth noting that in 2025, Anton Smolskiy won two victories at the Strongest Athletes Cup in Raubichi: the sprint and the pursuit. That summer, he won the pursuit at the first stage of the Commonwealth Cup, which was held in Sochi as a summer roller ski biathlon event.
Thus, in 2025, Anton Smolskiy won the overall Commonwealth Cup standings. For his outstanding achievements, he was named the best athlete of 2025 at the National Olympic Committee awards ceremony on December 25. The pyramidal structure of the physical education system at BNTU ensures that its graduates have always been and will continue to be a reliable foundation for building
The mastery of Polytechnic University chess players has been recognized internationally. Maxim Tsaruk, a student of the Faculty of Information Technology and Robotics, two-time Belarusian Chess Champion, silver and bronze medalist at the BRICS Sports Games, and 2024 World Junior and Women's U20 Rapid and Blitz Champion, was awarded the title of International Grandmaster. Furthermore, Alexandra Tarasenko, a student of the Faculty of Marketing, Management, and Entrepreneurship, Belarusian Chess Champion, and the best female chess player in 2024, was awarded the title of Woman International Master. The Presidential Council of the International Chess Federation officially approved the awarding of these titles to BNTU chess students. These young players' achievements demonstrate that BNTU produces not only future great engineers and scientists, but also world-renowned champions.
BNTU was represented by 19 athletes at the Strongest Athletes Cup and the Belarusian Swimming Championships. Following the championship, Aleksey Rylko, a student from the Faculty of Management Technologies and Humanitarian Studies (FMTH), was awarded five gold medals; Victoria Zamostik, a student from the FMTH, was awarded three gold and two silver medals; Genrikh Tonkovich, a student from the Faculty of Marketing, Management, and Entrepreneurship (FMME), was awarded one silver and three bronze medals; Ekaterina Pilipchuk, a student from the FMTH, was awarded two silver medals; Dmitry Belkevich, a student from the Faculty of Power Engineering, was awarded two bronze medals; and Vladislav Zayko, a student from the FMTH, and Vadim Bezborodko, a student from the FMTH, were awarded one bronze medal each. This impressive medal tally was the result of intense training and the professionalism of their coaches. The swimmers' performance marked another remarkable victory in the university's athletic history for 2025.
Alexey Rylko also took part in the Strongest Athletes Cup, winning five silver medals in the competition.
Representatives of BNTU demonstrated their physical fitness in the great outdoors at the tourist rally in the Sovietsky District of Minsk, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. Seventeen teams competed in bicycle touring techniques, volleyball, shooting, and the Tic-tac-toe relay race. The BNTU team demonstrated excellent results, taking first place in bicycle touring techniques and the "To the Island" quest, as well as second place in the Tic-tac-toe competition, securing first place in the overall team standings.
In 2025, Azerbaijan hosted the 3rd CIS Games. Stanislav Krivitsky, a student from the Faculty of Engineering and Pedagogy, and Aleksey Rybak, a student from the Faculty of Marketing, Management, and Entrepreneurship, played for the Belarusian youth volleyball team. Aleksey and Stanislav's team demonstrated outstanding results, confidently winning silver medals and bringing Belarus a respectable second place in the major competition.
A significant event in the 2025 sports calendar for BNTU was the participation of Igor Serafimov, a student from the Faculty of Information Technology and Robotics, in the Belarusian Judo Championship. Serafimov successfully competed in the 90 kg weight class, earning him not only a podium third place but also the title of Master of Sports, a feat that testifies to his perseverance and fortitude.
Moreover, Ivan Stoyan, a student from the Military-Technical Faculty, and Kirill Agievich, a student from the Faculty of Mining and Environmental Engineering, achieved the Master of Sport standard in kettlebell lifting. Alexandra Sergeeva, a student from the Automobile and Tractor Faculty, joined the ranks of Master of Sport in arm wrestling.
The Polytechnic students' brilliant performances were a worthy contribution to the university's overall athletic achievements.
In the year of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, the BNTU delegation covered approximately 2,000 km as part of the 20th International Student Athletics Run Minsk – Nizhny Novgorod – Izhevsk. En route to the capital of Udmurtia, staff and student activists, distinguished in the university's sports and social activities, learned more about the history of the Great Patriotic War by participating in rallies, runs, and thematic excursions. At the final destination, Izhevsk, the Polytechnic University students took part in a celebratory rally dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. Distinguished guests congratulated those present on the holiday, artists performed patriotic songs, and university representatives laid flowers and honored the memory of war heroes. The culmination of the event was the laying of the Victory Alley in Izhevsk by the heads of the participating universities.
A sports relay race was also held in Izhevsk. Its stages included competitions testing speed, strength, and agility. The Polytechnic students performed brilliantly, deservedly winning the relay. Filled with joy, the students took the challenge cup back to Minsk.
Representatives from eight Commonwealth countries participated in the CIS Amateur Gorodki Championship (Class B), held in Molodechno and dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. Following a tense competition in the finals for amateur athletes, Gulzar Atamammedov, a second-year student at BNTU from Turkmenistan, was crowned the 2025 CIS Champion in Gorodki. The championship winners and runners-up were awarded medals, diplomas, and valuable prizes. The sporting event strengthened friendly ties between the countries.
In 2025, BNTU students repeatedly met on the sports field with students from the Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University. Competitions between the universities' teams were held as part of the Spartakiad. The first stage was held at the Minsk university, and the second at the St. Petersburg university. The Belarusian National Technical University was represented by 30 students and six faculty members.
The final stage of the Spartakiad in Gorny included competitions in basketball, volleyball, table tennis, and judo. Based on the results of all competitive events, the BNTU team won the second stage of the Spartakiad with a score of 3:1. Yaroslav Potacic, Dean of the Faculty of Sports and Technology, accepted the winner's cup, and the teams and their participants were awarded commemorative awards.
These ten achievements of BNTU athletes vividly demonstrate the fortitude and will to win of our students. These successes are no coincidence, but a logical result of the systematic support for sports and a healthy lifestyle at the university.
Looking back with pride on the past year, we are full of expectations and hopes for 2026. We are confident that the coming year will continue these glorious traditions and bring new records to the Polytechnic University.
