Far from the fields or the rings, they decided to take action. Since the outbreak of the Russian military offensive on Thursday February 24, Ukraine has been resisting as best it can. As the Russian forces try to gain ground, many athletes have announced they are joining the Ukrainian armed forces in order to defend their country. Headlining the two boxing legends, Vitali Klitschko, current mayor of Kiev, and his brother Wladimir.
The two men were thus the first to declare engaging in combat. In their wake, Vasyl Lomachenko, WBO featherweight, WBO super featherweight, WBA, WBO and WBC lightweight world champion, has also announced that he will join the army. He published a photo on Sunday on his Facebook account showing him dressed in a military uniform, weapon slung over his shoulder, thus announcing his commitment to the battalion of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, near Odessa.
Former Ukrainian professional tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky also announced his intention to take up arms on Sky Sports on Saturday. the old 31st player in the world, retired from the courts since the start of the season, explained, moved in a video, to have registered as a reservist in order to join “territorial resistance. “I have no military experience. I have experience with weapons, privately. I don’t see why the majority of my compatriots have to risk their lives to send their loved ones away from all this while I’m still sitting here.”
Tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky tearfully reveals he is going back to Ukraine to join the army and fight against the Russian invasion.pic.twitter.com/2mIlY707d9
— Sam Street (@samstreetwrites) February 26, 2022
World heavyweight champion boxer Oleksandr Usyk, also confirmed last weekend his return to the country to take up arms, while he was in the United Kingdom a few days earlier. The Ukrainian called for “stop the war as soon as possible”. “You are not fighting our state or our army, but our people. This is our land”, he denounced in a video on his Instagram account, for the attention of the Russian army. The Instagram account of the Kharkiv boxing club posted a photo showing Oleksandr Usyk with a gun in his hand. “Oleksandr Usyk joined the territorial defense of the capital and the Kyiv region”, specify the legend.
Former Ukrainian cyclist Yaroslav Popovych, now sports director of Trek-Segafredo training, also says he wants to act for his country. “DFor two days, I have thought only of leaving and taking up arms. I hesitated a lot in 2014 [lors de l’annexion de la Crimée par la Russie], when I was still a runner. (…) I cannot do nothing. Yeah, I’m scared of course, but in 2014 people were under bombs every day, even though a lot less people were talking about it, and I didn’t go there. Today, I don’t want to hide anymore, he confided to The Team February 26.
Also former glory of cycling, Andrei Tchmil told his ex-Dutch rival, Johan Museeuw, that he was going “[se] fight to defend” his wife and son. “Johan, I’m going to give you three kisses, because I don’t know if I’ll still be here tomorrow”Tchmil told Museeuw, who shared the conversation on Facebook.
For his part, Dmytro Pidruchnyi, biathlon pursuit world champion in 2019, does not clearly describe that he is going to take up arms, while letting it be understood. “My team and I remain in Ukraine to protect our homes and families from the Russian armed forces.“, he wrote on Instagram on Saturday.
The biathlete also appeals: “Don’t tell me that sport has no connection with politics. It’s related, when soldiers and civilians of my homeland are dying as you read these words. I beg you not to stay away!“