Author: Ihor Stelmach

An official decree from Ukraine’s Ministry of Youth and Sports dated July 26 stated that Ukrainian athletes and teams will only be required to boycott competitions if Russian and Belarusian athletes are competing under their national flags or have pledged their allegiance to either country in another manner. Ukrainian athletes will no longer be barred...

Danyil Denysenko and Mark Myronov have always dreamed of playing in the National Hockey League (NHL). When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and their families were forced to flee, they were encouraged to relocate to Canada. That the two 16-year-old boys are currently playing for the Calgary Royals AAA team can be described as...

Russian and Belarusian teams were not on the list of over 200 nations to receive formal invitations to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games because of the two countries’ aggression and war on Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) statement on July 13 did not reference individual athletes holding passports from Russia or Belarus....

Ukraine won two gold medals at the Turin Acro Cup, an international acrobatic gymnastics tournament held in Turin, Italy, on July 7-9. More than 250 athletes from 28 clubs and 12 countries participated in the competition. Ukrainians Elina Kozachan-ska, Karina Ostrovska and Alina Puhach won gold in the senior women’s group combined exercise with a...

On the first day of Wimbledon 2023, it was hoped tennis would be the main topic of discussion and talk of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine would be limited. Of course, no one ever thought a Ukrainian tennis player would become the main headline of the tournament. It was labeled a fairytale comeback...

Like him or not, Alex Ovechkin is one of the greatest players in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL). Heading into next season, he is 73 goals away from passing the great Ukrainian Wayne Gretzky for most career goals scored. However, there exists a monumental problem with Ovechkin: his shameless support for Russia’s...

There is one Ukrainian arm wrestler who is referred to as “The Ukrainian Mutant,” and his story is remarkable. He is the arm wrestler with the Popeye-like left arm who withstood the odds and became the youngest arm wrestling champion ever. He managed to overcome a birth defect and became a star in the sport...

The final stage of the Super European Goalball League – Champions League 2023 was held the weekend of July 1 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Para athlete teams with visual impairments from Lithuania, Ukraine, Germany, Finland (2), Poland, Portugal and Montenegro competed in the three-day tournament. Invasport Ukraine won second place in the tournament going undefeated in...

The 2023 European Games took place in Poland on June 21 through July 2 with more than 6,900 athletes from 49 countries competing across 11 cities and towns from Krakow to the Fatra Mountains giving Ukrainian athletes an opportunity to bring pride to their nation and demonstrate their strength to the world. The Ukrainian delegation...

Croatia went into the Under-21 Euro Cup as a favorite to progress out of Group B, but instead was upset by Ukraine. It was a huge win for the underdog Ukrainians, defeating the 2021 quarterfinalists on June 21. Ukraine got off to a strong start. The team defended well against a strong Croatian midfield and...

A trio of Ukrainian women athletes visited the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, while at the annual Diamond League series meet. Viktoriia Tkachuk, Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Anna Ryzhykova were among some 15 athletes accepting the IOC’s invitation to visit its headquarters and meet with IOC President Thomas Bach. Two-time Olympian Tkachuk met...

Ukrainian judokas finished in first place among 243 athletes from 22 countries who competed in Podcetrtek, Slovenia, on June 17-18 at the Podcetrtek Senior European Cup 2023. Ukraine won the most gold medals (four) and total medals (13). Gold medalists for Team Ukraine included Nazar Viskov (-60 kg), Karo Marandian (66 kg), Serhii Nebotov (73...