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The finals of international competition Global Management Challenge culminated with a joy for the Russian team. After a whole day of struggle the Russian team became the winner and left behind the favourite Ukrainians, who ended up the third, and also the Polish, who ranked second. The captains of our teams obtained commemorative certificates. "We would like to participate in the next international finals. Many teams participate repeatedly and they are those which fought this year in the finals." Robo Graxa, the Slovakian participant, told us. Interviews with both teams will be provided next week.
Organizers prepared an evening full of surprise. Apart from beautiful introductory dancing, Alexandr Krivošapko, a local megastar, appeared on the stage. Delegations also learned that the next finals would take place in Bucurest, Rumania in 2013, on April 17 and 18. This year's finals in Kiev have offically finished. Individual teams are only awaiting a journey back home and preparation for next year's competitions. The College of Finance and Administration (VŠFS), which is an organizer of this, the largest student competition in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, will again send the two winning teams of the national round to the international finals. Follow the web sites www.czechgmc.cz and www.slovakgmc.sk and you'll be the first to learn when next year's competition starts.
The day of competition started yesterday in the early morning hours. The semifinals took place again in the Ukrainian house on the main Avenue of Kiev: Chreščatyk. All teams stayed in the main hall and after each round they could see their results on the prepared projection screens. The last round is always the decisive one and thus the Czech and Slovakian teams were disappointed when Pedro Costa, a representative of the organizer, announced two winning and proceeding teams in the evening and none of them was from our two countries.
The two final winners were announced at the evening party which was supposed to help destroy any possible barriers among the teams and develop communication among individual countries. The hosting country prepared a range of local specialities and welcomed guests in typical folk costumes with national songs.
There are eight teams awaiting today's finals. We will report its results, details of the competition and interviews with Czech and Slovak teams.
Czechs and Slovaks in one group
The Czechs and Slovaks are before the fratricidal struggle in the international Global Management Challenge competition which was opened yesterday by Mykola Azarov, the Ukrainian prime minister. Both teams, whose participation is ensured by the College of Finance and Administration, drew lots and they are going to appear in the same semifinals group. The teams from Ukraine, Russia, India, Spain and Ghana will also be competing for the two proceeding places in the same group. "We have exactly the two teams which we did not want to draw,"
said Tomáš Petrák from the Czech team after the draw. "Russia and Ukraine are very strong, so the proceeding won't be easy," he added. Binh Pham, the captain of the Slovakian team, would also like to avoid Ukraine: "In this competition Ukraine always occupies the first positions." Despite of that, he hopes for the Slovak and Czech teams proceeding.
In total, there are 25 teams in the finals. They are divided into four groups of six and one of seven (and it is just within this seven team group where the Czech and Slovak teams are going to compete.) The today finals will have the same procedure as individual national rounds had. The teams have to take five decisions within a day, while they are going to have less and less time to do so in individual rounds. Eight of the proceeding teams will compete in the final round, which will take place tomorrow on April 19.
Luis Alves Costa is an organizer of the whole international competition and the president of the SDG company. Among the participants there was Mykola Azarev, the prime minister, who pointed out that the support of young talents is very important for Ukraine even when facing the economic crisis, Anna Degterevová, the general manager of the Ukrainian company, and representatives of partners of the international finals.
