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07/26/24 06:19:00
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07/26 18:17 CDT For Ukrainian athletes, joy mixes with sorrow at the Paris
Olympics
For Ukrainian athletes, joy mixes with sorrow at the Paris Olympics
By HANNA ARHIROVA
Associated Press
PARIS (AP) --- For Ukrainian competitors in Paris for the Olympics, joy goes
hand in hand with sorrow. Athletes are striving to enjoy the dream of competing
at one of the world's most prestigious sports events while carrying the burden
of the war back home.
"When we read news, we feel very upset," said Polina Buhrova, a 20-year-old
badminton player at her first Games. "But it's also our power and our
possibility to show how strong we are that we are here, that we are going to
fight until the end."
The living accommodations for athletes from around the world are adorned with
flags and slogans at the Olympic village. The Ukrainian house features
children's drawings with messages like: "The resilient do not give up and
strive for victory" and "Glory to the Ukrainian Armed Forces." These drawings,
a tradition to support Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline, have extended to
cheering for their athletes.
"It warms my heart," said fencer Olga Kharlan, smiling at the drawings. She
added, "We want to finish this season successfully because we are doing it for
our country."
Kharlan had a unique route to the Paris Games. She was drawn against Russian
fencer Anna Smirnova at last year's world championships. Smirnova protested
after Kharlan refused to shake her hand, and the Ukrainian was disqualified.
The International Olympic Committee awarded Kharlan a spot in Paris anyway.
The fencer said preparing for the Games this year was challenging --- not just
the grueling routine typical for an Olympic athlete but because she had to
train abroad due to Russia's war and had not seen her family in a long time.
But she is determined, saying her showing goes far beyond any sports arena.
"We fight and perform for those who, unfortunately, cannot come here because
they were killed by Russia," she said. "This is dedicated to them and to all
our defenders."
This year, Ukraine will be represented by the smallest number of athletes in
its history of participation in the Summer Games, with 140 competitors in 26
sports. The most are in athletics, at 25, while there's just the one ---
Buhrova --- in badminton. The war deeply and negatively affected Ukraine's
sports industry.
The International Olympic Committee barred Russians and Belarusians from team
sports in Paris, and those who pass a two-step vetting procedure can compete
individually as neutrals. They must not have publicly supported Russia's
invasion of Ukraine or be affiliated with military or state security agencies.
"I would feel much better if they were not here," Ukrainian rower Anastasiya
Kozhenkova said at a news conference Friday in Paris.
In Ukraine, Buhrova said that the war undermined the importance of sports and
accessibility for many and that she knows many athletes who stopped practicing
after Russia's invasion.
"When you try to choose between life and the sport, you choose life first," she
said. "If government have the choice, it's understandable they choose to save
our lives first, and then support the sport."
Buhrova, originally from the eastern city of Kharkiv that has been under heavy
Russian bombardment for the third year, said she had to evacuate abroad to keep
training. The trauma of the war still affects her deeply: She said that even
after leaving Ukraine, loud noises often remind her of the bombings back home.
Despite these challenges, she is excited and determined.
"I'm really happy I have the opportunity to show my performance, my best," she
said. "I will try to make my country proud."
Kozhenkova, a Ukrainian rower who won a gold medal with her team at the 2012
Summer Olympics, said it is a significant achievement for Ukraine to even be
represented amid the war.
"In the winter, there were many explosions, and it was very frightening because
despite the training, you didn't know if you would make it to the Olympic Games
or not," she said.
Kozhenkova said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the team
online Wednesday, wishing them success and noting that their participation
would help the nation take a break from the harsh reality of the war.
She said she hopes for fewer power cuts and no major attacks so that Ukrainians
back home can enjoy the competitions.
"This will be a small relief for our people," she said. "Maybe if there is
electricity and people can cheer, they will experience (positive) emotions."
Rain-soaked fans at the opening ceremony gave Ukraine's athletes --- led tennis
superstar Elina Svitolina and swimmer Mykhailo Romanchuk, the country's flag
bearers --- a huge cheer as the Olympians paraded down the Seine River on a
boat.
"It's a great honor, and an even greater responsibility," Svitolina wrote to AP
in shortly before the ceremony.
"Now I compete for the world's awareness and attention, which, in war context,
is a much greater reward," said one of Ukraine's most beloved athletes, who
owns a charity fund and is an ambassador of the state fundraising platform
UNITED 24.
As Ukrainian athletes prepare to compete, Svitolina said her country badly
needs the world's support as "without it, this might be the last time they see
blue and yellow at the Olympics and other sporting events."
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Associated Press journalists James Ellingworth and Tim Reynolds contributed
from Paris.
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