The organizers want to see the participants’ ability to cooperate, negotiate, and make friends. Photo: Oleg Umarov
From October 25 to 31, the international youth geography olympiad MY-GEO 2026 is being held at the «Sirius» federal territory. Among the participants are schoolchildren from India, Pakistan, Serbia, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Italy, and Russia. Over the course of a week, they will demonstrate their knowledge, complete interdisciplinary tasks, and conduct research directly on site. High school students will take part in theoretical, practical, and multimedia tours, and their work will be evaluated by a jury headed by Vice-President of the RGS Kirill Chistyakov.
The olympiad is being held at the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The organizers are the Russian Geographical Society and the «Talant i Uspeh» (eng. «Talent and Success») educational foundation. The competitions are held with the support of the Ministry of Education of Russia, and scientific and methodological support is provided by the Sirius University of Science and Technology.
The grand opening ceremony began with a video about the history of geography. The hosts reminded the audience about the explorers whose names are still on the world maps: Semyon Dezhnev, Faddey Bellingshausen, Mikhail Lazarev, and Nikolai Przhevalsky.
«Now the journey of exploration continues thanks to you, ” the hosts addressed the young geographers.
In honor of the opening of the olympiad, the national anthem of the Russian Federation was played. It was performed by Taisiya Solovyova, the winner of the All-Russian festival-competition of young performers «Crystal Stars».
The participants were welcomed by Elena Shmeleva, head of the educational foundation «Talant i Uspeh» and chairperson of the Council of the «Sirius» federal territory. She reminded that the olympiad is a response to the instruction of the President of Russia following the XVII Congress of the RGS.
«This is the first scientific geography olympiad for 'Sirius’, and indeed for the world — an interdisciplinary event focused on the future. You will face three rounds: theoretical, practical, and multimedia. This is an innovation and a new standard of tasks, which our experts have approved for the first time specifically for this olympiad, ” noted Elena Shmeleva.
The main venue for the competitions will be the Rosa Khutor Resort. Participants will have to explore the territory and propose options for adapting it to the changes in the natural environment and climate. When developing solutions, it is necessary to take into account the terrain, the wind rose, insolation, tourist flows, transport, the requirements of ecosystems, and the economic feasibility of the proposals.
Ilya Gurov, First Deputy Executive Director of the RGS, called the olympiad one of the steps on the path to developing the BRICS community. He also noted that Geography Day became the first common scientific holiday for its participants.
«It was very important for us, together with 'Sirius’, to design the task in a new way. It’s truly non-trivial: we wanted you to assess the capabilities of artificial intelligence in geography and go on some great field trips. Geography, naturally, is done only 'in the field’, so we paid special attention to this, » Ilya Gurov emphasized.
According to him, the organizers want to see the participants’ ability to cooperate, negotiate, and make friends.
Ilya Gurov also donated books from the Society’s collections to «Sirius» as part of a program under which the RGS is replenishing the libraries of educational institutions — from small rural schools to large centers. The first batch consisted of about 1,000 publications, including museum books from the 19th and early 20th centuries about Russia and the BRICS countries.
Ilya Gurov and Elena Shmeleva at the start of the First International Youth Geography Olympiad. Photo: Oleg Umarov
Kirill Chistyakov, Chairman of the jury, Vice-President of the RGS, Director of the Institute of Earth Sciences of St. Petersburg State University, and Honored Geographer of the Russian Federation, explained why he agreed to evaluate the participants’ works.
«Fifty years ago, I myself started my journey in geography with an olympiad organized by the Geographical Society. Therefore, I feel obliged to pass on the experience I gained. Looking back at the 50 years that have passed, I believe this choice was the right one, » Kirill Chistyakov shared.
The participants expect not only challenges from the olympiad, but also new acquaintances. Noman Muhammad from Pakistan brought the project «Industrial Data Management». In geography, he is most interested in seas, their inhabitants, and mangrove thickets.
«When I left home for the first time, I was very worried: what would it be like in Russia? But when I arrived, I saw this beauty — the mountains, the rivers. It made an impression on both me and my teammates, ” Noman shared.
«For me, the main thing is to talk about the geography of Bangladesh. It’s very exciting. I’m a bit nervous, but I’m happy to share my ideas, » noted Minhajul Islam Tahmid from the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
In addition to the competitive tests, participants can look forward to cultural and creative events, a festival of national games, and the now-traditional joint planting of trees on the federal territory.