Published on 20/03/2024 at 23:33
Updated on 21/03/2024 at 00:05
Video Duration: 4 min
Paris 2024: Ukrainian Athletes Training Amid War
Ukrainian athletes will be present at the Olympic Games. Even though it is difficult for them to prepare during a war, they train hard and persevere.
The Ukrainian athletes will be present at the Olympic Games. Even though it is difficult for them to prepare during a war, they train hard and persevere.
This is another front for the Ukrainians. This time, the battle is taking place in a sports center in Kiev, Ukraine. Five months before the Paris Olympics, bronze medal-winning gymnast in London 2012, Igor Radivilov, is training. At 28 years old, he dreams of one last podium, in the name of his city of Marioupol, under Russian occupation, and for his family still there. “It remains tough psychologically, especially during the attacks at night,” he confides.
Andriy Krylyuk, the director of the center, oversees the athletes’ preparation. In the early days of the war, the complex served as a shelter for the athletes and their families. The pommel horse then served as a display stand for firearms. “If the Ukrainian flag is raised in Paris this summer, it will truly be a victory for us, and for the entire country,” he asserts.
A requested national icon
To give themselves the best chance, the authorities have enlisted a national icon, who had planned to retire: Jean Beleniuk. After his gold medal four years ago, the wrestler embarked on a career as a deputy in the party of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Ukrainians will therefore come to the Paris Olympics as representatives of their attacked nation. They will compete in tribute to the 400 athletes who died in combat, bombings, or who gave up their hopes of competing out of patriotism.
