Many of Ukraine’s most talented young athletes see their dreams cut short with the Russian war entering its third year.
When Oleksandra Paskal sfirst took up gymnastics when she was four years old, her coach Inga Kovalchuk saw nothing but potential in a sport where Olympic Games They are the ultimate goal. Then, a Russian missile crushed his house in Odessa, burying her under rubble and cutting off her left leg.
Oleksandra, who now has 8 yearsdreams of competing in the Paralympic Games. She returned to training after just six months of rehabilitation following the attack. Radiating confidence, he won his first competition a year after the attack and is inspiring fans far beyond the rhythmic gymnastics community.
Kovalchuk prides himself on his ability to spot future talent in the sport. However, he says it is increasingly clear that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is destroying a sports culture that for decades was one of the most powerful in Europe.
“My main task today is not to achieve high results in sports, but to preserve physical health and mental of our children,” Kovalchuk said. It takes one of each and a national infrastructure of training facilities, secondary schools, teams and coaches to train an Olympic champion .A process that begins in early childhood and ends up eliminating the majority of contenders long before they reach the Games.
But according to the Ministry of Sports of Ukraine, more than 500 sports facilities have been damaged u occupied by Russian troops since the large-scale invasion.
Young athletes have been deprived of training opportunities when their coaches joined the military or they fled abroad. Children who remain in Ukraine often have their training interrupted by airstrike warnings that can last for hours.
The disaster caused by the conflict means that some children never begin to discover their potential. According to Veerle De Bosscher, professor of sports policy at Vrije University in Belgium, even if the war ended tomorrow, Ukrainian athletics it could take a decade in recovering their losses.
The Ukrainian boxer Maksym Halinichev won silver at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in a match described at the time as “two of the best young wrestlers in search of glory.” In an interview with the Ukrainian Boxing Federation in December 2021, he outlined three ambitions: defeat the boxer who prevented him from winning gold, teach his daughter to defend herself and win a medal for Ukraine at the Paris Olympic Games.
When asked if he was ever afraid before a fight, he described his mindset. “Fear can influence people in various ways,” he said. “Some people become paralyzed by it, some react by becoming more liberated. If you can control yourself and your body and set the right path, then fear disappears“.
Unfortunately, Halinchev will not be able to demonstrate that philosophy in the Paris Olympic Games. He enlisted as a soldier in Ukraine and was killed on the front lines in March 2023, at the age of 22. He is one of the more than 400 athletes killed since the outbreak of war.
