PIUTT 2018: Tennis tournament, held at the Dubna State University (Moscow region, Russia) as part of the Panathlon International Movement, united students from different countries
The PCU International University Tennis Tournament (PIUTT) in support of the Olympic principles of “fair play” and Universal Friendship was held for the third time at the Dubna State University from 19 to 21 October 2018. This year students from Belgium, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine and United Kingdom took part in the tournament.
The PIUTT tournament is held as part of the Panathlon International Movement for the promotion and spread of culture and sporting ethics, according to the official recognition of the International Olympic Committee. The organizers of the tournament are the University of Antwerp (Belgium) and the Dubna State University (Moscow region, Russia) on the initiative of the Panathlon Club of Universities (PCU Committee).
On October 19, at the PIUTT Opening Ceremony the participants were greeted by the Dubna State University Rector Dmitry Fursaev, the Vice-rector for educational and methodical work Andrey Denikin, the Head of the Department of Physical Culture and Sports of the Dubna City Administration Gennady Minaev and by the PCU Committee President Peter Verboven. The PIUTT President, Honorary Rector of the University of Antwerp Francis baron Van Loon announced the tournament officially open and made the draw.
“Panathlon’s device and our device is “Ludis Iungit”, means “united by sport”. So, the main objective of this tournament is to offer a platform where sport – in our case tennis – is considered as a valuable instrument to develop international interaction and experience, with emphasis on fair play and university friendship” – the PIUTT President Francis Baron Van Loon said at the Opening Ceremony.
Competitions took place at the tennis court of the Dubna University Sports Complex "Olympus" from 22 to 23 October. From the very start, the tournament began with a tense set with a tie-break that lasted 1 hour and 5 minutes. Matches of the tournament were held in an exciting competitions, in the spirit of Olympism and fair play. The students showed a beautiful game, completing their attacks with volley shots and overhead smashes, played dynamically and spectacularly.
The match with the tie-break for the third place in the Men’s tournament between Dimitri Sleeckx from the University of Antwerp (Belgium) and Joshua Pollard from the Essex University (UK) turned out to be especially spectacular. There was also a very exciting game with a tie-break in the Women’s singles II group between Hannelore Peeters from the University of Antwerp (Belgium) and Olga Ivanshina from JINR (Dubna, Russia).
As in the Women's as in the Men's singles categories the students of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation won. In Women’s tournament the number one player of the Financial University, Maria Daniels Sierra, won with a 6:0 blowout. The title of the PIUTT Men's tournament Champion was won in a fair play by Roman Kudryashov.
The tennis tournament was held at a high organizational level thanks to the coordinated work of volunteers, the referee team and the team of ball boys and girls. The team of young tennis players serving the balls to the players consisted of students of the local youth sports schools in the city of Dubna. The tournament contributed to the development of sports base of the University and promotion of tennis in the city and among the students. In particular thanks to the information support of the Administration of the city of Dubna.
Due to the increased number of applications for participation and the successful holding of the PIUTT 2018, the next year is expected to expand the tournament format and a possible change of the venue.