Armenia Hosts Its First-Ever National Open Ballooning Championship

From October 5 to 11, 2026, Armenia hosted its first-ever National Open Ballooning Championship near the Aparan Reservoir. Organized by the Armenian Ballooning Federation, the competition was held under international FAI/CIA sporting regulations and brought together 14 pilots.

Participants completed 15 competitive tasks designed to assess their precision in hot-air balloon navigation, tactical decision-making, and ability to make effective use of weather conditions.

Nairi Barseghyan delivered the best performance among Armenian representatives, scoring 10,209 points to finish fourth overall. He missed out on the bronze medal by just 156 points.

Notably, Barseghyan is not only an active balloon pilot but also the founder and president of the Armenian Ballooning Federation, which organized the historic competition.

Russian pilots claimed all three podium positions. Ivan Menyaylo became the winner of Armenia's inaugural National Open Ballooning Championship, while Elizaveta Vertpirkhanova secured the silver medal and Mark Stenn took bronze.

Representatives of the Armenian diaspora from Brazil also delivered strong performances. Marcus Kalousdian finished fifth, immediately behind Barseghyan. His brother Christian Kalousdian placed seventh, while their sister Aline Kalousdian finished eighth.

Final Results of Armenia's First National Open Ballooning Championship

1. Ivan Menyaylo (Russia)

2. Elizaveta Vertpirkhanova (Russia)

3. Mark Stenn (Russia)

4. Nairi Barseghyan (Armenia)

5. Marcus Kalousdian (Brazil)

6. Georgy Zimenko (Russia)

7. Christian Kalousdian (Armenia)

8. Aline Kalousdian (Armenia)

9. Armen Benyaminov (Armenia)

10. Basil Davydiuk (Poland)

11. Dominic Bareford (Great Britain)

12. Artem Bondarenko (Russia)

13. Inga Van Haver (Latvia)

14. Varadan Vardanyan (Armenia)

The inaugural National Open Ballooning Championship marked an important milestone in the development of competitive ballooning in Armenia. The tournament demonstrated the country's potential to host international competitions in the sport and gave Armenian pilots an opportunity to test their skills against experienced competitors from abroad.