Day 8

The Open International Astronomy Olympiad (OWAO) has concluded in Sirius. This year, we were pleased to welcome in-person teams from nine countries: Myanmar, Belarus, Bangladesh, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Costa Rica, Thailand, and Russia. They were joined by teams participating remotely from countries including Venezuela, Mongolia, Peru, Mexico, Egypt, Bolivia, and Turkmenistan.

At the closing ceremony, participants were addressed by Ms. Elena Shmeleva, Chair of the Sirius Federal Territory Council and Head of the Talent and Success Educational Foundation. She congratulated the attendees and highlighted the Olympiad’s great significance for all participating countries. Ms. Shmeleva described the event as an important step toward a shared future, one that fosters joint solutions to global challenges and paves the way for new discoveries. ‘Today, the world faces many problems', she noted, adding that the Olympiad participants are precisely the kind of talent who can engage in addressing them to create something fundamentally new, together.

For the second consecutive year, the absolute winner of the Olympiad is Ekaterina Churkina from Moscow.

‘This year the olympiad tasks seemed more difficult than last year’s. After the first two tests, I was not sure I could show the best result. Very strong and talented young people gathered at the Olympiad, so this victory is especially valuable to me. I am currently a first-year student at the Faculty of Space Research at Moscow State University. In the future, I plan to contribute to the exploration of outer space and the Universe', — Ekaterina says.

Gor Hasratyan from Armenia secured his second consecutive OWAO gold medal, also achieving the top result within his team this year. He proudly noted that the Armenian team had an outstanding performance overall, bringing home three gold and two silver medals.

‘The olympiad tasks were very interesting and not less difficult than last year’s. Once again, I was impressed by the venue and the quality of the organization. I have wonderful memories and made acquaintances with participants from different countries. I don’t have any concrete ideas for joint projects yet, but I am confident that the connections made in Sirius will be useful in the future. Professionally, I plan to pursue a career in engineering,' Gor shared.

For Nain Khun Bhon of Myanmar, simply being in Sirius is a dream realized. He calls OWAO a pivotal event in his life, an opportunity made possible after the national delegation sought and received logistical support from the military to attend the international competition.

‘I chose astronomy because this subject is hardly taught in schools in our country. Due to the lack of teachers, we have to study independently. When it became known that we were going to the astronomy olympiad, specialists from the military sector came to our aid. I have a dream to become the first astronomer in Myanmar. I am sure that participating in OWAO has strengthened my self-confidence and significantly expanded my knowledge in astronomy,' Nain Khun Bhon shares.