Day One. Opening of the Olympiad

Today, the Multinational Youth Geography Olympiad MY-GEO 2026 has opened for the first time in the Sirius Federal Territory. Eleven teams representing Russia, India, Pakistan, Serbia, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Italy, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Zambia and Pridnestrovie have arrived in Sirius.

The participants have three rounds ahead: theoretical, practical, and multimedia. The students are not only expected to demonstrate their knowledge but also to apply it to the tasks that modern geographers face.
This format helps to better understand the interconnections between nature, society and the economy, develops geographic literacy and a responsible attitude towards natural and cultural heritage. Besides, the Olympiad creates opportunities for international communication and future joint research.

Elena Shmeleva, Head of the Talent and Success Educational Foundation and Chair of the Sirius Federal Territory Council, addressed the opening ceremony.

"Exactly a year ago, following the congress of the Russian Geographical Society, the President set the task of holding a geography olympiad for school students from BRICS and other countries — and today it is being held in Sirius for the first time. For us, geography is not only a school subject but also a working tool for developing the Federal Territory: spatial planning, environmental monitoring and transport solutions here are based on geographic data. That is why the participants will not receive abstract tests, but real research tasks, including field tasks — this is exactly how scientists and engineers are working today. I am sure that joint projects, expeditions and research teams will grow out of these days. Geography has always been a science that unites," noted Elena Shmeleva, Head of the Talent and Success Educational Foundation and Chair of the Sirius Federal Territory Council.

A festival of projects took place right after the opening ceremony. The teams presented their solutions to current geographical problems specific to their countries. The projects do not influence the final results of the Olympiad but give the participants the opportunity to highlight the topics that concern them, practise finding solutions and discuss their work with each other — this way the students can compare their approaches and see how similar tasks are solved in other countries.

"Our team researched the Italian region called Liguria. There is a rise in sea level there, and it is important to keep this under control. I have been studying geography for three years now, since I started high school. I am especially fascinated by the geopolitical aspects of the science. I am sure that without an understanding of geography it is impossible to truly make sense of what is happening in the world," shared Aly Kamel Karim from Italy.

The Russian team focused on a territory where the climate is changing especially rapidly.

"Our team focused on a very important problem — the adaptation of the Russian Arctic to global warming. There is a global trend — global warming — and the Arctic zone is the most exposed to it. The rate of air temperature increase there is higher than the global average. The way we can cope with and adapt to these changes is a very important issue. This will shape how the Arctic develops from here on," says Mikhail Perunov.

The briefing sessions explained to the participants, step by step, how the Olympiad is organised. This allowed them to prepare for the upcoming challenges and approach them confidently and calmly.

Then the participants visited Sochi Park — one of the most vibrant places in the Sirius Federal Territory. This is not just an amusement park, its concept draws on Russian folklore and cultural heritage — here the heroes of fairy tales and epic legends come to life in rides and shows, and themed areas allow you to literally ‘stroll' through the pages of folk tales.