Teams that expressed their support for Ukraine at the European Robotics Championship have been granted scholarships from the Vilnius City Municipality for educational endeavours. In total, the teams were awarded EUR 3,000.
Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas commented, “The students showcased their solidarity with Ukraine at the championship, firmly representing the resolute stance of Vilnius and Lithuania as a whole. We understand well that there can be no compromise with an aggressor, neither in politics nor in robotics competitions. It’s heartening to witness a rising generation of brave Lithuanians for whom the principles of freedom and humanity supersede personal achievements.”
Among these teams, Lituanica X robotics team, with one of its members from Ukraine, chose to boycott the Russian team during the European Robotics Championships in Italy and declined to form an alliance.
While this boycott meant only one loss on the robotics competition, the judges deemed it sufficient to disqualify them from participating in the World Robotics Championships in Houston, USA. Despite this, the team was honoured with a EUR 1,000 scholarship in recognition of their humanity and valour in upholding the values of the city of Vilnius.
The teams Lituanica PlumBlum and Lituanica – Vilnius Lyceum Robotics, who were not assigned to enter an alliance with the Russian team through the luck of the draw, also received EUR 1,000 scholarships for promoting the reputation of Vilnius.
Lituanica PlumBlum distinguished themselves as the top performers in the robotics field, whereas Lituanica – Vilnius Lyceum Robotics was singled out by the judges as the team most deserving of representing Vilnius in the USA. The World Robotics Championships are scheduled to take place in Houston from April 17th to 20th.
