In a moving show of solidarity, the Union of Ukrainians of France led a peaceful march in Paris on Saturday to honor the hundreds of Ukrainian athletes who have lost their lives since the Russian invasion of their homeland.
The demonstration held on Saturday in Paris, on the eve of this month’s Olympic Gamessearched not only remember these fallen sports heroesbut also highlight the continuing impact of conflict in the Ukrainian athletic community.
Since the start of the invasion in 2022, it is estimated that several hundred Ukrainian athletessome of them elite competitors, coaches and other professionals closely linked to professional and amateur sports in Ukraine they have lost their livesmany of them fighting as soldiers on the front lines.
The vice president of the Franco-Ukrainian association, Volodymyr Kogutyak, emphasized the importance of the event: “It is crucial to demonstrate that the problem facing Ukraine today It’s not just a Ukrainian problem, it’s an international problem.“.
Among the athletes remembered is Maksym Halinichev, a promising boxer who won the silver medal at the Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games in 2018 and was European junior champion in 2017. Halinichev He joined the Ukrainian army and died at the front in March 2023, at the age of 22.
Other notable athletes include Ivan Bidnyak y Yehor Kikhitovboth pistol shooters and members of the Ukrainian national team. Bidnyak won a silver medal at the European Championships in Osijek in 2013. He was also commemorated Stanislav Hulenkova 22-year-old judoka whose body was identified 10 months after his death, since Oleksandr Peleshenkoa weightlifter who represented Ukraine at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The march attracted dozens of participants, including Ukrainians, French citizens and people from diverse backgrounds, all united in their grief and determination to honor the athletes’ memory. The participants wore t-shirts with the names of the deceased athletes and a minute of silence was observed, followed by speeches from the organizers.
Are you marching with political motivations?
This peaceful demonstration also had a political purposeseeking to send a clear message about the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the next Paris Games. The human cost of the ongoing war, coupled with the widespread destruction of sports facilities in Ukraine, represents a serious threat to the country’s future in Olympic sports.
It is not yet clear how many Russian athletes will compete in the Olympic Games from July 26 to August 11. The IOC has already banned them from participating in the parade of athletes at the opening ceremony.a, scheduled on boats that will navigate the Seine River.
