On 28 October, Lviv hosted the 6th All-Ukrainian Sports Marketing Conference SBC Summit Ukraine 2026, which for the first time took place outside the capital. The event brought together over 700 participants and more than 50 speakers from sports clubs, federations, business, the media and marketing agencies.
The summit was opened by Head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration Maksym Kozytskyi, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi and Ukraine’s Minister of Youth and Sports Matvii Bidnyi. In his address, Maksym Kozytskyi stressed the importance of investment in sport, particularly in youth, adaptive and professional sport, as well as in creating an inclusive sports environment in the Lviv region.
«We must invest in sport because when we talk about sport, it is not only about Olympic medals. We feel proud when we see an athlete and the Ukrainian flag. But to have this flag, we must work and be involved» — Maksym Kozytskyi
The regional head underlined that without the development of inclusive sport it is impossible to achieve unity and equality in society. The discussion on the transformation of Ukrainian sport also involved Minister Matvii Bidnyi, who noted that the sector is on the verge of significant change as a result of the ministry team’s long-term work. He separately emphasised the need for systemic steps to prevent Russia from returning to international sporting life.
Summit participants discussed sponsorship and partnership strategies, digital communications, the development of youth sport, as well as mechanisms for attracting funding for sports projects. Considerable attention was paid to issues of adaptive sport and work with veterans and people with disabilities.
The Lviv region’s experience was presented by Director of the Department of Sport, Youth and Tourism of the Lviv Regional Military Administration Roman Khim’iak. He spoke about building a unified sports ecosystem in the region, the development of children’s, mass, professional and adaptive sport, infrastructure modernisation and the attraction of private investment.
According to Roman Khim’iak, in 2023–2026 almost a dozen important infrastructure projects were implemented in the Lviv region: from sports spaces in hospitals and rehabilitation centres to indoor athletics arenas and a canoeing and rowing base. He recalled that the head of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, once spoke highly of the SKIF training complex, calling it a «wonderful arena». At the same time, the official stressed that building facilities alone is not enough — specialists are needed who will work at these centres every day, especially with wounded veterans and people with disabilities, and this requires systemic decisions at state level on the training and support of such professionals.
The conference became a platform for sharing practical experience, establishing cooperation between sports organisations, business and the media, and seeking new opportunities for the development of the sports sector in Ukraine. The event was organised by Sport&Business Club. The summit took place at LEOLAND, Barvy Event Hall in Lviv.
SBC Summit Ukraine positions itself as an all-Ukrainian sports marketing conference that brings together representatives of the sports industry, business and the media. In 2026, the forum was held outside Kyiv for the first time.