On February 19, 2017 the felt boots hockey tournament was held among PSU international students at the ice rink in front of the building No. 1. The tournament drew 10 teams from Nigeria, Chad, Egypt, India, Iraq, Yemen, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. It was organised by Student sports club “Berkut” and International Cooperation Office of Penza State University.

“Russians consider hockey as a traditional and favorite sport. Felt boots hockey is a simplified version of this game. We would like to introduce our international students to our sports and traditions. As we see it, such events will help you to socialize better and quicker in the Russian community and anyway to experience a lot of positive emotions. I wish good luck to all participants. Let the games begin!” Sergei Vasin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs, opened the tournament.

The struggle was real at every match; all the participants were enthusiastic about the games. The teams were eager to win. The tournament was held according to the Olympic system and as result 4 teams reached the semifinals.  The places were distributed as follows: the 3rd place was awarded to Egypt team, the 2nd place was occupied by Tajikistan team, and Kyrgyzstan team won the tournament