Among all the guests at the welcome drink, on the bank of the Isère, Tuesday, October 18, 2022, they are thirteen, recognizable by their turquoise blue and yellow jersey. Eleven athletes and their two Ukrainian coaches arrived in Grenoble at the beginning of September, hosted by Rowing Grenoble, which responded to the call of the French Rowing Federation.
They are welcomed by members, who have also mobilized to find them an unoccupied holiday center to accommodate them. “In Grenoble, we have a good team, we are well housed, well fed and the French speak with us, said Kyrylo, 16, from Pavlohrad in eastern Ukraine. Now we can train, we row, we go to the gym every day.“
Mobilization of club members
The young man and his teammates aged between 15 and 25 passed through Germany, where they won the silver medal at the European University Championships last month, and Poland where they were hosted for a time. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, all had no choice but to leave their country : “For athletes, either they went to defend their country, or they represented their country [dans des compétitions] abroad to publicize the events in Ukraine“, explains Viktoriia Michniewicz, of the Mryia Ukraine association, based in Meylan.
They needed a stable place to live, where they could plan for several months while continuing to train, “they are young athletes with a lot of potential but who also have the tension of having to earn a living to help their families back in Ukraine“, adds Viktoriia. With Aviron Grenoble, which had already organized events with other refugees, they were able to participate in training, with French rowers and Guillaume Turlan, who participated in the last Olympic Games.
Continue the sport to represent their country
While waiting to receive French lessons, the language barrier makes the discussion sometimes complicated but the exchange is possible and improves, assures Alain Waché, the director of the club: “It’s first another culture and then a different sports culture, a different way of managing training. We have a lot to contribute between coaches and between rowers.” After several weeks of reflection, he embarked on the project, supported by the Local Mission, the City of Grenoble and the AFPA, because according to him, “we talk a lot about the ‘values of sport’ but we are careful not to mention them, whereas the sporting world and rowing can work towards integration“. He even asks: “If we’re not able to do that, what’s the point in the end?“
The Ukrainian team will continue to train in Grenoble, with the aim of take part in a regatta in the Paris region in September. But young Ukrainians are even planning for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.