The competitions took place September 14–18 at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. They brought together 24 teams from 12 countries, including the Ukrainian team of 13 athletes. The Ukrainian delegation included servicemen of the 153rd Sniper Training Center and pilots of the FPV team GNIZDO.

At the MIDRT UK drone race, the Ukrainian team took second place in the team standings, finishing behind Australia’s team. In the final round, Ukraine was represented by two pilots — Reciver, who finished fourth, and Word1N, who took third place. Both athletes represent the Ukrainian team GNIZDO.

Ukrainian athletes also took second place in the BATDC tactical competition, finishing behind Croatia’s team. In this part of the competition, the Ukrainian team was represented by four servicemen of the 153rd Sniper Training Center.

“I congratulate our pilots and servicemen on this result. It was fundamentally important for us not just to come to an international competition, but to show the level of Ukrainian pilots and specialists in technological disciplines. Second place in two directions at once — drone racing and tactical competitions — shows that Ukrainian experience and training are competitive at the international level,” — said Artur Bulyhin, president of the Federation of Technological Sports of Ukraine (FTSU).

According to Bulyhin, participation in such competitions is also important for developing international cooperation and exchanging experience.

“Ukraine already has its own approaches to organizing technological competitions and training athletes in various disciplines. During the tournament we discussed them with international partners and saw the interest of our British colleagues in our expertise and competition formats. This opens up opportunities for further cooperation and joint work on developing international standards for technological sports,” — added Artur Bulyhin.

A separate outcome of the trip was the practical experience the Ukrainian team gained during the competitions, notes Vitaliy Lavrov, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine:

“The main goal of the trip to the United Kingdom has been achieved: our athletes successfully worked with foreign sparring partners, shared their own expertise, and gained valuable experience for further growth. It is especially pleasing that during their debut the team immediately won two second-place finishes. In addition, the management team laid a solid foundation for the further development of the international structure of technological sports,” — said Vitaliy Lavrov, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian team’s participation was made possible thanks to the partnership of the FTSU, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, and the NGO GNIZDO, as well as the support of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation, F-Drones and BTN Foundation. For the partners, an important part of this trip was not only ensuring the team’s participation but also presenting Ukrainian experience at the international level.

“International competitions are an opportunity to show that Ukraine has strong specialists and its own experience. For the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation, it was important to support the Ukrainian team’s participation in the United Kingdom and its professional representation on the international stage. Two second-place finishes in a debut performance are an important result, but no less valuable are the contacts and experience the team brings back to Ukraine,” — said Artem Mykolaichuk, head of the board of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation.

As a reminder, we previously reported that Ukrainian drone pilots were competing for the first time at an international military tournament in the United Kingdom, and in August the first training camp of Ukraine’s national technological sports team took place.