Ukraine celebrated the country’s Day of Physical Culture and Sports on 14 September. On that occasion and in an interview with The Times Kuwait, the Ambassador of Ukraine H.E. Dr. Oleksandr Balanutsa, spoke at length on Ukrainian sport and the country’s sport achievements, as well as the sporting events to be held in Kuwait during the ‘Week of Ukraine in Kuwait’ celebrations in January 2020.
“The spirit of sport has always been one of the major features of Ukrainian people,” said Ambassador Balanutsa at the start of the interview. “For centuries, life conditions dictated the need for good physical shape. For example, in order to become a Cossack, men had to face numerous challenges to prove their fitness. In the 21st century, living conditions are completely different, but sports is still considered to be an integral part of our national hobbies. Team spirit, the will to win, and mutual support, are key factors of success and main traits of Ukrainian character. Having a high respect for sport we annually celebrate the Day of Physical Culture and Sports on 14 September of each year,” said the ambassador.
“Ukrainians have been within the global Olympic movement since 1894. At the end of the 19th century we already knew many sports such as rugby, football, fencing, gymnastics and various types of wrestling. Then 28 years ago, along with the restoration of Ukraine’s independence, Ukrainian sport faced a great challenge: how to create its own national Olympic strategy to obtain new victories under the Ukrainian flag. The anthem of Ukraine was first played during the Olympic Games in 1992 in honor of victory of Ukrainian sportsmen.
“Our talented sportsmen glorify Ukraine far beyond its boundaries. Their fame is a result of their own exhausting work and efforts of their coaches who have made a lot to bring up medallists. Gennady Sartinskiy, Volodymyr Zolotarev, Oleksandr Teslenko, Igor Turchin, Volodymyr Sheptitskiy, Oleksandr Balanutsa, Oleh Yarovinskiy, Oleh and Olena Andriychuk, Nataliia Panteleeva, Iryna Klimenko, Oleh Sokolovskiy and other outstanding pedagogues share the victories along with their sportsmen.
“In 2000, Yana Klochkova became world famous after winning two gold medals at the Sydney Olympic Games and setting a world record. Sergey Bubka, Andrey Shevchenko, the Klitschko brothers, Alexander Usyk, Elina Svitolina, Olena Pidhrushna, Oleg Vernyaev, Oleksandr Simonenko, Alexey Sereda, Daria Bilodid, Ludmila Lyashenko, Taras Rad, Oksana Shushkova and other Ukrainian sports stars strengthen the positive image of Ukraine in the international arena. When Ukrainian athletes stand on pedestals of winners, when our flag rises and our anthem sounds, we feel pride for our country and receive a powerful charge of positive emotions and inspiration.”
“Among the events we are planning to organize are: friendly matches and competitions, leadership courses for coaches and judges, sports events for children, presentations of Ukrainian sports schools, a charity marathon and much more. It’s worth emphasizing that sport is a bridge of friendship between Ukraine and Kuwait. We take this opportunity to express our gratitude and appreciation to the Kuwaiti side, especially Dr. Saqr Al-Mulla, Deputy Director-General of the Public Authority for Sports for supporting Ukrainian initiatives in the field of sports to enhance the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two friendly countries.”