On the Minsk sea determined the strongest in the championship of BRICS sailing

The strongest were determined at the third stage of the international series of Tenzor Elite Cup regattas and the BRICS sailing championship in 2026 in the waters of the Minsk Sea. For three days, crews struggled, overcoming rain, strong winds and technical difficulties. How was the regatta, and who got the main trophies – in the material of the correspondent of “Minsk-Novosti”.

More than 50 athletes from Belarus, Russia, India and Kyrgyzstan came to the start to find out who will be the strongest on the water. At the same time, the regatta has become not only a sporting event, but also a platform for strengthening international relations and exchange of experience between representatives of the BRICS countries.

In three days, the judging team conducted 12 races. And the weather didn't let you relax. The first day met the athletes with drizzling rain and gusts of wind up to 21 knots. On the second condition became even tougher: the wind intensified to storm 30 knots, and the water area was covered by a rainstorm. The final day turned out to be more calm - a moderate wind allowed the teams to demonstrate technique and tactical prowess.

From the first races, a confident leadership was captured by the team from Russia Ptichki Sailing Team led by Elvira Pinchuk. The crew consistently held among the best and finished in the top three in each race. By the end of the second day, the team created a gap from the nearest rivals by more than 10 points.

As a result, Ptichki Sailing Team became the winner of the regatta and won the championship title in the BRICS championship for the second time.

- Organization at the highest level. We tuned in to the maximum from day one - every day we had our first three parishes. I've only been racing for two years and the 30 knot wind conditions were just my second experience. But the team worked together, and we coped, said Elvira Pinchuk, helmsman of Ptichki Sailing Team.

The fight for the remaining seats on the pedestal was much more intense. The second place was taken by Bars Sailing Team Maxim Batrakov, ahead of the nearest competitors by only three points.

Crew member Pavel Sozykin also noted a high level of competition.

- Dynamic races with a serious struggle. The waters are good. The status of the BRICS championship speaks volumes, so this project has great prospects.

Bronze medals went to Tenzor Team of Andrei Pushkin. In one of the races, the crew faced a serious technical problem - the breakage of the steering pen. However, the team did not give up and continued to fight. Moreover, in the final race, Tenzor Team was the first to cross the finish line.

The races were very competitive. Despite the breakdown, we didn't get upset - it's a sport and it happens. We are happy to take third place. Such regattas are the development of the entire sailing sport on a global scale, and we hope for more such starts, said Daniil Odintsov, a tenzor team tactician.

Fourth place went to W Sailing Team of Peter Bukin. The fifth was the Butter Sailing Team, which in a stubborn fight with Skolkovo Sailing Team-3 managed to beat the rivals by only one point.

There were dramatic moments too. There were massive false starts and broaching. There was a strong wind and the yachts developed high speeds. Any mistake could lead to a loss.

It was especially difficult for athletes from India. For them, the tests were cold wind and rain, as well as acquaintance with a new class of yachts. Nevertheless, the teams withstood difficult conditions and noted that they received valuable experience that will help improve the results in the next starts.

Chief judge of the regatta Vladimir Komel highly appreciated the work of the judging team and organizers:

- There were 12 races in three days, which is a great result for such volatile conditions.

In addition to the sports program, a series of business events took place as part of the regatta. The experts discussed the prospects for the development of sailing in India - the BRICS chairman country in 2026, the role of women in yachting, international standards of judging, as well as the possibility of using sailing as a platform for the development of business contacts.

The regatta ended with a solemn award ceremony. The teams received a double set of medals and special prize cups made at one of the oldest Belarusian enterprises - the Neman plant.

Photo by organizers