Zelensky: “I’m proud of the players” 487 Ukrainian players killed in war
Ukrainian athletes at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on the 26th (local time)
Ukraine, which has been at war with Russia for three years, sent its smallest-ever delegation to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
According to foreign news agencies such as the Associated Press on the 26th (local time), Ukraine will participate in this Olympics with a total of 140 athletes in 26 sports. It is the smallest number ever.
Track and field athletes have the most with 25, while badminton has 1.
This team was formed in difficult circumstances, with some players leaving their home country or dying during the war and their training facilities being destroyed.
The Ukrainian team’s accommodations are decorated with children’s drawings with messages such as “Strong people never give up and strive for victory” and “Glory to the Ukrainian Army.”
The ‘tradition’ of cheering on Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the front lines has now been transferred to Olympic athletes.
“It warms my heart,” fencer Olga Karlan told The Associated Press, smiling as she looked at the drawings.
“I want to finish this season successfully because I am doing it for my country,” said Carlan.
It wasn’t an easy process for Carlan to participate in the Paris Olympics. At the World Championships last year, he refused to shake hands with a Russian player who was competing against him. The Russian side protested and he was disqualified. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made an exception and gave Carlan a chance to participate in the Paris Olympics.
He confessed that preparing for the Paris Olympics was difficult. Preparing for the Olympics is not easy for any athlete, but he had to train overseas due to the war and did not see his family for a long time.
But he was determined, saying, “We fight and play for those who unfortunately were killed in Russia and cannot come here.”
“I’m so angry when I read the news,” said 20-year-old badminton player Polina Bukhrova, who is making her first Olympic appearance. “But this is an opportunity to show how strong we are, that we are here and that we will fight until the end.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a message of encouragement on X (formerly Twitter) that day, saying, “I am proud of our team, which prepared for the Olympics despite this war of aggression and showed the spirit of all Ukrainians.”
“They have our will to win and the spirit of Ukrainians,” President Zelensky wrote. “We support Ukraine! We believe in Ukraine!”
Mikhail Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, said on social media that 487 Ukrainian athletes had died in the war with Russia, including on the front lines. 파워볼사이트
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