HSE Holds Table Tennis Championship among International Students
Mixed-sex teams representing eight university faculties took part in the HSE Winter Tennis Cup, an interfaculty table tennis championship for international students. The team of the Faculty of Mathematics won the competition. The tournament was organised with the support of the Department of Internationalisation and the Department of Physical Training.
The event took place in the atrium of the HSE building on Pokrovsky Bulvar. Right before the competition, the participants of the HSE national table tennis team—who defend the university’s honour at interuniversity competitions—showed off their skills. Kirill Kisel, HSE Director for Internationalisation, encouraged the students before the start of the tournament and wished them good luck.
Deputy Director of the Support and Career Centre for International Students and Alumni
‘We got the idea to hold this competition after organising the mini-football championship in May 2023. We decided to think of other sports and chose table tennis. We received lots of applications from international students in different faculties. And today they met on the field of play.’
Eight teams made up of men and women from the Faculties of Computer Science, Social Sciences, Economic Sciences, Creative Industries, Mathematics, World Economy and International Affairs, as well as from the Graduate School of Business and the International College of Economics and Finance, competed in the tournament. Students from countries near and far, including China and African countries, took part in the competition.
Maria Mamonova, Manager of the Support and Career Centre for International Students and Alumni, noted that such events help international students adapt to a new environment, expand their circle of communication at HSE University, and try their hand at something new.
Manager of the Support and Career Centre for International Students and Alumni
‘Tennis is a wonderful opportunity to get together, play, meet new friends, warm up and take prizes home. Students like this format because everyone has the opportunity to play round-robin matches. They meet new people, which is extremely important in an international environment. This helps them understand that they are not the only foreigners here.’
At the end of the tournament, the participants took part in an award ceremony and got their well-deserved cups and medals. The most fierce battle was for first place, which was taken by the team of the Faculty of Mathematics, leaving the main rivals from the Faculty of Computer Science in second place.
‘We were helped by teamwork and the desire to show what we were made of, to improve our skills,’ say the winners.
Competition standings
Emirhan Japarov (Kyrgyzstan), Master’s Programme in Data Science, Faculty of Computer Science
‘As soon as I saw the newsletter about the tournament in October, I signed up for it without hesitation, because I already had the experience of the excellent HSE Inter Football Cup tournament. The event exceeded my expectations: a beautiful stand, dancing cheerleading groups, competent judges, master classes from the national team, and gifts. The most memorable location at the event was the atrium. It was a pleasure to play in this beautiful place. We are looking forward to new sports events!’
Lin Jiewen (China), Bachelor's Programme in World Economy, Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs
‘I've been playing table tennis since I was a kid and I definitely wouldn't miss this event. The most unforgettable thing is the feeling of teamwork and support that we all experienced both in and out of the game: a team member of the Faculty of Mathematics offered me his racket for the match, and we celebrated every victory together—it was a wonderful game spirit that outshines any game results.’
Artur Dalakyan (Kazakhstan), Faculty of Creative Industries
‘I played table tennis at the amateur level, but after learning about the event in the newsletter, I decided to try my hand at the tournament. It was like something from a movie about a university: a sports event, support, cheerleading, competition between faculties. At the tournament, I met and spoke with people from different countries, which was also a huge plus. Overall, I got only positive emotions from the organisation and the event itself, and I hope that HSE University will hold more similar competitions for students.’
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