these Ukrainian athletes training in the middle of war

This is the other front of the Ukrainians. This time, the battle is taking place in a sports center in kyiv (Ukraine). Five months before the Paris Olympics, the bronze medalist gymnast in London (United Kingdom) in 2012, Igor Radivilov is training. At 28, he dreams of one last podium, in the name of his city of Mariupol, under Russian occupation, and his family left behind. “It remains psychologically hard, especially during the attacks at night”he confides.

“If the Ukrainian flag is raised this summer in Paris, it will really be a victory for us”

Andriy Krylyuk, the director of the center, monitors the preparation of the athletes. In the early days of the war, the complex served as a shelter for sportsmen and their families. The pommel horse then served as a demonstration support for firearms. “If the Ukrainian flag is raised this summer in Paris, it will really be a victory for us, and for the whole country”he assures.

To put all the chances on their side, the authorities called on a national icon, who had planned to hang up: Jean Beleniuk. After his gold medal four years ago, the wrestler embarked on a career as a deputy in President Zelensky’s party. The Ukrainians will therefore come to the Paris Olympics as spokespersons for their attacked nation. They will compete in tribute to the 400 athletes who died in combat, in bombings or who abandoned their hopes of competition out of patriotism.