Author: Ihor Stelmach

It has been very difficult for Ukraine native Dmitry Feld to watch news coverage of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine, which began eight months ago. The 66-year-old grew up in Kyiv, the nation’s capital. “Well, I think it is barbarian. 21st century when the largest country in the world with an unlimited amount of cruise...

It all began in April at the Boston Marathon when a petition gathered some 1,600 signatures and forced organizers of the race to ban Russian and Belarusian runners from participating in the annual event. Now a contingent of Ukrainian runners has made a move to not allow Russians and Belarusians to run in the upcoming...

In 1997, spiritual leader, athlete and advocate for peace Sri Chinmoy founded the Self-Transcendence 3,100-Mile Race. His race is an annual event with runners navigating a .55-mile loop some 5,649 times around a sports field, playground and high school in the New York City neighborhood of Jamaica, Queens. Runners have 52 days to complete the...

Ukraine has joined Spain and Portugal in their bid to host the 2030 World Cup. If the joint bid is successful, the war-torn country would host one of the eight groups in the global soccer tournament. The plan is backed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy along with the governments of Spain and Portugal. The new...

The Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR) announced on October 4 that it is sponsoring 28 Ukrainian National Team rowers and coaches to compete in the 2022 Regatta on October 21-23 on the Charles River in Brighton, Mass. The regatta’s support makes it possible for the Ukrainians to compete in the world’s largest three-day rowing...

This was not the first time when three youngsters of Ukrainian descent heard their names called in the first round of a National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft. It wasn’t even the second such occasion. Back in 2016, Matthew Tkachuk (No. 6 to Calgary), Jakob Chychrun (No. 16 to Arizona) and Kieffer Bellows (No. 19...

The Ukrainian Boxing Federation’s membership in the International Boxing Association (IBA) was suspended on September 23 following a leadership vote with major implications for the sport’s Olympic future beyond 2024. The vote was instigated by IBA President Umar Kremlev, a Russian national, but national federations were scheduled to hold their own vote during an emergency...

Ukrainian fighters placed second overall with 10 medals at the GAMMA European MMA Championships 2022 held on September 24-28 in Tbilisi, Georgia. Ukraine’s six gold medals tied them with host Georgia for first place. 96 athletes from 14 nations competed with Ukraine’s team, which featured 14 competitors. Single gold medalists for Ukraine were Anatolii Zhurakovski...

It was a battle between two nations at war and in turmoil when Ukraine faced Armenia in a Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Nations League soccer match on September 24 at the Vazgen Sargsyan Stadium in Yerevan, Armenia. In their first-leg match on June 11, Ukraine defeated Armenia 3-0 in Lodz, Poland. The rematch...

The water was a mild 71 degrees Fahrenheit, warm enough for a bikini instead of a thick, clumsy wetsuit. There were no missiles up above. There was no ice floating in the water, and bright sunshine squeezed down on the golden sand from a cloudless sky. The ocean decided to pulsate just as Anastasiia Temirbek’s...

MANCHESTER, Conn. – Larissa Babij became a refugee in early March when she relocated from her home in Kyiv to Lviv in the west of Ukraine. She escaped the barbaric destruction in the nation’s capital. She was torn away from her former life. The exit came very soon after Russia’s cruise missiles began exploding over...

Some 349 competitors from 39 nations competed at the 2022 European Junior Judo Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, on September 15-18. Ukraine tied with the Netherlands for seventh place overall, winning four total medals including one gold medal. A total of 19 countries won medals. Ukrainian women won two of the country’s four medals including...