Our team initially encountered significant difficulties during the beach volleyball competition. The fact is that training for the festival took place only in the gym, while the competition was on a sand court. Nevertheless, our volleyball players demonstrated true athleticism and perseverance, and the battle for victory was intense. The volleyball players from Kirzhach were only four points short of reaching the finals. Our athletes competed well against the two eventual winners – the teams that tied for first and second place in the finals. Beko Russia took third place in its group and fifth place overall out of nine participating teams.
Beko Russia 2025 Volleyball Team Roster:
Serghey Drobidontov (team captain) – Engineer in the Refrigerator Pre-Production Shop.
Anatoly Uzun
Alexey Khristov
Olga Krestianinova
Dmitry Ermilov
Svetlana Oleshchenko – Logistics Expert.
Varvara Repina
Nikita Katashov .
– We trained twice a week, worked well together, developed a strategy, but we didn't get a chance to test it on the sand. On the second day, when we'd gotten accustomed to the sand, the team showed everything they were capable of, and that, in my opinion, was a very good result. I'd especially like to highlight the friendly atmosphere at the festival – a lot of people were gunning for us, there was no pressure from the opponents; all were colleagues and teammates in their favorite sport. The opposing teams were very strong, and it's clear they'd trained hard. We'll have a lot of motivation to improve before facing them at the next festival.
– Of course, we went there determined to win. The festival itself was both sport and celebration. I was especially excited because it was my first time participating in such event. The diversity of teams from around the world was astonishing. At first, we didn't have the chance to explore the city - we were all busy with the competition, with five games a day. But after the final, we managed to see Old Istanbul and went to the Bosphorus. Many thanks to Beko for giving us the opportunity to attend such a large and beautiful event!
– There was a bit of anxiety before the games at first, but it quickly passed. Everyone was very friendly—even the opponents were supportive. I think we took the decent place for our first experience. Our opponents had more experience playing on sand, and the beach volleyball court is smaller than usual, which affected the result. But now we understand what we need to work on. We returned in a good mood and took home not only new skills but also an ocean of positive emotions.
- I went to the festival expecting these days to be among the best and most memorable of my life. And that's exactly what happened: the scale of everything that was happening was simply astonishing - hundreds of athletes from different countries, all of them our colleagues! It was truly a celebration of sport at its finest. And of course, the beauty of Istanbul at night, which we admired from the boat during the farewell party, left an unforgettable impression. I returned home incredibly motivated to train harder and to attend the festival next year!
