To mark the sixtieth anniversary of the first Ukrainian rugby team.

In the autumn of 1962, students of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, led by Valentyn KhONIN, a second-year student of the Faculty of Automation and Electrical Instrumentation, together with Serhii Kalenchuk, Head of the Department of Physical Education, and with the support of Oleksandr Pligunov, Rector of the KPI, created the first rugby team in Ukraine.

Thus, rugby as a sport was launched in our country.

 The following students played in the first Polytechnic team: Volodymyr Boryskin, Oleksii Bukaiev, Volodymyr Varavkin, Oleksandr Zak, Yevhen Ignatov, Leonid Kicha, Ihor Kryven, Mykhailo Likhman, Anatolii Makiiev, Serhii Makushko, Volodymyr Masol, Volodymyr MOGILEI, Vitaliy PELEKH, Volodymyr SOLOMONOV, Mykola TODOSIENKO, Viktor TROKHIMENKO, Anatoliy TIAZHKOROB, Valeriy FEDOROV, Valentyn HONIN, Leonid SHELESTOVYCH. Ruslan Volchansky, Georgy Lukashevich and Sergey Sopin were among the team's first coaches. In less than a year, namely in the summer of 1963, KPI rugby players were the first Ukrainian teams to participate in official all-Union competitions - in the USSR Student Championship (Central Council of the Burevisnyk Sports Society).

       It is worth noting that Polytechnic players founded more than 20 new teams all over Ukraine.

      During the years of its existence, Polytechnic took part in the major league games of the USSR Championship and in the Super League matches of the Ukrainian Championship. The trio

Interesting fact: KPI students were finalists of the Soviet Union Cup and were among the six best teams of the former USSR. Polytechnicians became multiple champions of the USSR and Ukraine among student teams, as well as 11-time champions of Ukraine and multiple winners of republican championships. Our athletes are multiple winners of the Ukrainian Cup. The KPI youth teams, multiple winners of the Ukrainian and USSR rugby championships, also have many sporting victories. Statistics show that the team has trained more than 110 masters of sports of the USSR and Ukraine. For many years, the basis of the national team of Ukraine was made up of KPI rugby players. We can state that "Polytechnic" was the best student sports team in the former Soviet Union and Ukraine.

In 1991, Polytechnic rugby players became the founders of the new Olympic sport Rugby Sevens. The success of Polytechnic students in this sport is pleasantly surprising. The amateur athletes are multiple champions and winners of the Ukrainian Cup, winners of prestigious international tournaments held in the USA, Spain, France, Switzerland, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Slovakia and other countries. With skill comes popularity. Dozens of Polytechnic rugby players were invited to the best European teams: France, Spain, Germany, Poland. In the 1990s, Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute rugby players represented our young state in Europe and the world as athletes.

By the way, our teammate Andri

Our next player, who also made Kyiv Polytechnic famous, is Oleksandr Prymachenko. He was a member of three national teams - the USSR, the CIS and Ukraine.

         According to experienced professionals and recognised experts, rugby is one of the most intellectual sports.  Our team included more than 25 doctors and candidates of science. Among them are professors: Viktor MAIBORODA, Alexander DENISOV, Sergey GOZHIY, Anatoly TIAZHKOROB, Valentin KHONIN and Leonid SACHKOV. This sport helps to achieve professionalism, to establish excellent spiritual character traits, and fosters mutual respect and a sense of unity.

        Many of our players have become heads of state institutions, industrial and commercial enterprises, banking institutions, and research organisations.

        The labour achievements of rugby's founders and veterans Valery FEDOROV, Vitaly PELEKH, Georgy TSYGANKOV, Sergey STAS and others have been recognised with state awards.  And the USSR Masters of Sports Alexander SVERTOKA and Leonid DEINEKO were awarded high state awards of the French Republic, namely the Gold Medals of Youth, Sports and Public Activities of France.

       Our team has brought up a galaxy of highly qualified referees of the all-Union category:  Viktor Trokhimenko, Vadim Kravtsov, and this list continues with international referees Igor Kubansky, Dmitry Samoilenko, Vladimir Kramarev, Andrey Svertoka and Sergey Poplavsky.

      Polytechnic rugby players have always carried the flag high throughout their history

      We congratulate the rugby players of all generations on their anniversary, on their great achievements and wish them new victories on the rugby fields!!!