Author: Ihor Stelmach

Special Olympics Florida has donated financial and program assistance to Special Olympics Slovakia in an effort to support a sports club consisting of Ukrainian refugees. The club, named Special Stars, is designed to support people with intellectual disabilities who have fled Ukraine due to Russia’s war on Ukraine. The club is also open to Special...

When a world-class complex with world-class funding gets a world-class athlete, the outcome can truly be out of this world. Twenty-two-year-old Ukrainian Kateryna (Kate) Maistrenko is one of the top rowers in the world. The ex-Washington State University star is currently training for the Olympics and world championships. Every morning at sunrise, Maistrenko heads to...

Prior to the beginning of Moscow’s full-scale war on Ukraine that began on February 24, military experts around the globe speculated on the outcome of a possible war between the neighboring countries. Such experts often evaluate the strength of a nation by examining its diplomatic, informational, military and economic capabilities, which they refer to by...

After it was announced that the International Judo Federation was admitting Russian and Belarusian teams to its upcoming competition in Mongolia under neutral flags, Ukrainian Olympic Committee President Sergey Bubka exhorted full compliance with International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommendations. Speaking at the General Assemblies of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the...

Vitali Klitschko’s courageous fortitude earned him world heavyweight championship titles during his illustrious boxing career. Today, he shows his fearlessness and heroism as mayor of Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv. He has resolved to protect his countrymen from Russian forces and President Vladimir Putin, who launched a full-scale war on Ukraine on February 24. These days,...

After eight years of being exiled from its home city by Russian aggression, Ukraine’s top soccer team has been relegated to hosting UEFA Champions League play in neighboring Poland and planning a humanitarian tour of matches in the United States. Shakhtar Donetsk has not played a home game since the Russian war in the Donbas...

Ukraine’s national soccer team bounced back from their heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Wales in World Cup qualifying with their own 1-0 victory over Ireland in a Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Nations League match in Dublin on June 8. Dynamo Kyiv’s Viktor Tsygankov, who entered the game as a half-time substitute, caught goalkeeper Caoimhin...

In a May 1 YouTube video in which she declared her support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, Hayley Wickenheiser, one of Canada’s greatest female athletes, acknowledged her Ukrainian ancestry. “My family is of Ukrainian descent. Both [of my] grandparents’ families came from Odesa,” Wickenheiser announced at the beginning of her video, which was...

Thirty-two-year-old Nataliia Klimenova has loved the sport of volleyball almost her entire life. Stepping onto a court was never a dream, but more of a destiny. Her mother played for the Soviet Union team and young Klimenova grew up watching her parents play beach volleyball. In the industrial city of Severodonetsk in the Luhansk region...

Hollywood movie scripts and fairy tales do not necessarily end in the manner we hope they do, but Ukraine’s 1-0 loss to Wales was heartbreaking for a couple of reasons. Their remote chance of gaining a spot in the 2022 World Cup was washed away in a rainy Cardiff City Stadium. Ironically, their first loss...

On May 7, Ukraine’s national football team won its second consecutive friendly match, defeating Italian Serie A club Empoli by a score of 3-1. The team wore specially designed jerseys with a message of “United for Ukraine” on the front. The numbers on the back of the shirts were composed of the names of the...

In sports, the better performing team does not always win every game. Infrequently a sporting event is decided by a bad bounce, a controversial call or a fluke play. Despite their superior composed, measured and effective showing, despite their defiance, resolve and spirit, Ukraine’s arduous journey to play in the 2022 World Cup came up...