Ukrainian swimmers wow the audience with their warrior-themed ballet

The eight Ukrainian swimmers marked the spirits, Friday, June 23, during the artistic swimming events of the European Games in Oswiecim (Poland), thanks to a choreography evoking the war affecting their country for more than a year.

Refugees for some in different European countries to continue training, they finished in fifth position during the technical test, far behind Spain, winner, Italy and France. But they received long applause from the Polish public, an allied country, plunging and twirling to the sounds of percussion reminiscent of the bombardments hitting neighboring territory.

“Everyone is aware of what’s going on in Ukraine right now. We try not to let that affect our performance, but we know that our presence here brings some joy to the soldiers on the front lines”reacted Maryna Aleksiiva, 22, after their performance. “This theme could perhaps have been used for another choreography, but we liked its title: ‘steadfast destiny and hope’. It has a lot of meaning for us at the moment”added her twin sister Vladyslava.