26th International Balloon Meet

June 11–17 2022

The 26th International Balloon Meet took place in Velikiye Luki on June 11–17, 2022. As part of the occasion, the 27th Russian Hot Air Balloon Championship was successfully held. Apart from that, thanks to favorable weather, a number of entertainment events were arranged for the residents and guests of Velikiye Luki, including the key grab race, night illumination of aerostates, and flights over the city.

This year, the competition in Velikiye Luki brought together 35 pilots from Russia and Belarus. Among them were aeronauts from Moscow and the Moscow Region, St. Petersburg, Feodosia, Tula, Yoshkar-Ola, Rostov-on-Don, Kungur, Nizhny Novgorod, Veliky Novgorod, Ryazan, Voronezh, Velikiye Luki, and Minsk.

Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, said in his welcome speech to the aeronauts: “The annual meet in Velikiye Luki has long become a tradition for the best pilots in our country. And for Gazprom, it has become a good tradition to support this unique event. The Company pays great attention to the advancement of science, education, and sports in Russia. Today, we join everyone in wishing the pilots a clear sky, good weather for flying, and spectacular victories. Go ahead, to new heights!”

The opening ceremony for the Championship took place on June 12 (Russia Day). A concert in honor of the pilots was given in the city center, in the Velikiye Luki Fortress. The representatives of the city and regional administrations, organizing committee, and sports office expressed their congratulations and warm wishes to the pilots.

Sergey Kalityuk, Director General of Gazprom Expo, delivered a speech on behalf of the general sponsor of the competition. He pointed out that, while it is customary for Gazprom to support the advancement of sports, the Company is especially proud to support aeronauts – the wanderers of the sky.

“Keep flying, being romantics and setting an example for us all. And we will keep supporting you,” said Mr. Kalityuk in his address to the pilots.

Ivan Menyailo, President of Aeronautics of Russia, noted that the Russian Hot Air Balloon Championship is the flagship event for all aeronauts of the country.

Vladimir Orlov, Director of the 26th International Balloon Meet in Velikiye Luki, invited everyone to admire the view of the joint start of air balloons that opened from the Fortress. As the joint start took place on Russia Day, the first to rise into the sky were air balloons carrying a giant tricolor in honor of the state holiday.

Thanks to good weather, the pilots were able to showcase their skills in every detail: they descended over the embankment, floated very close to spectators, and maneuvered to form a “daisy,” i.e. to touch one another's envelope so as to stand in the shape of the flower.

Equally spectacular, dynamic and captivating was the vying for awards at the Russian Hot Air Balloon Championship. The pilots made five flights and completed 16 sports tasks.

The victory and the cup of the Championship were taken by Dmitry Zhokhov from Tula.

Our congratulations to the Russian Air Balloon Champion 2022!