Participant of the national team of Ukraine “Warrior Games” Yevhen Zhar: “The mission of veterans here is to convey the historical truth about the country for which we give our lives”
Currently, the Ukrainian national team is preparing for the fourth week in a row for the international sports competition Warrior Games, which will be held from August 16 to 29 in Orlando, Florida, USA. Warrior Games is an adaptive competition for servicemen and veterans who have been injured, injured or sick performing their official duties. The US Department of Defense is organizing this event for the eighth year in a row.
In 2021, Ukraine first joined the Games of Warriors, however, due to quarantine requirements in the United States, the competition was postponed for a year. Now, in 2022, 33 Ukrainian veterans will perform for the first time at the international multi-sport competitions Warrior Games in the United States.
The national team of Ukraine will be represented by veterans from all military and law enforcement structures. Seven of them are veterans of the National Guard of Ukraine: Vladislav Shatilov, Rodion Sitdikov, Bohdan Oksentiuk, Yevhen Zhar, Sergey Naumov, Igor Galushka and Dmitry Afanasiev - the captain of the Ukrainian team Warrior Games. The team was formed on the basis of the Ukrainian national team Invictus Games.
Until 2022, the Ukrainian national team, like other national teams of participating countries, consisted of 40 athletes. However, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, almost all of them went to defend Ukraine. Four veteran defenders: Andriy Kotovenko, Serhiy Smilin, Volodymyr Motelchuk, Dmytro Oliinyk and the coach of the national team defender Dmitry Sidoruk gave their lives in this war. Another participant was injured a few weeks before the training phase of the games, the others refused to participate, because they are in the area of hostilities. According to National Guard soldier Eugene Zhar, at least 70% of the entire team came to the training in the UK from the frontline.
“Warrior Games is a community of veterans of the world, a society in a society where they understand each other, because we all lived similar experiences, from battles to prosthetics and participation in these competitions,” says Yevhen.
The guard says that Ukrainian athletes did not have enough time and opportunities to train in Ukraine in view of the war. However, for 3 weeks, all of them have been training continuously to show good results. Yevhen himself will compete on the running distance.
“I love running, because for me it is the best way to put my mind in order and unload my body after service, running is my pleasure. But my strong point is long distances, endurance running.”
The soldier was wounded by shrapnel in 2014 near Donetsk airport. The man also met the war in the east.
The program of international adaptive competitions Warrior Games presents 11 sports: archery, golf, ball shooting, athletics, cycling, swimming, rowing on simulators, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, powerlifting, power volleyball by giving.
“This year the Ukrainian team will not participate in only one discipline — wheelchair rugby,” says Yevhen.
According to Yevhen, the participants of the British national team refused to participate in the competition this year, but British public organizations and volunteer funds took over partial funding of the Ukrainian national team.
“My dream is to perform in international competitions and raise our flag on the pedestal. However, in today's realities, our mission at these competitions is not only sporting achievements, but also to bring to the world our personal stories and the historical truth of our country, for which we give our lives. After all, thanks to such measures, the world community of military and veterans can get information about our war literally from the trenches.”
Press service of the NGU
Photo of the Ministry of Veterans of Ukraine
