A new multifunctional UNBROKEN sports space has opened on the grounds of St Panteleimon Hospital in Lviv. The covered court is intended for patients of the rehabilitation centre and hospital staff, and makes it possible to play various sports, including basketball, five-a-side football, badminton, archery and wheelchair rugby.
The sports area is located under a tent-frame structure, has a special rubber surface and a professional lighting system. The space is fully adapted for people with limited mobility. Thanks to insulation, ventilation and cooling, training sessions can be held here all year round, regardless of the weather.
Oleh Bilianskyi, head of the UNBROKEN rehabilitation centre, stresses that the new hall is part of a comprehensive programme for patients’ recovery after injuries. According to him, it can host both inclusive sports, such as volleyball and wheelchair rugby, and regular sessions for anyone interested.
“Sport provides both competitive activity and a positive emotional background, and helps to improve physical qualities — speed, strength, endurance and balance. All of this is essential for everyday life,” said Oleh Bilianskyi.
The doctor adds that previously patients had to be taken to other gyms, while demand for such activities was very high. Now the centre has its own space for regular training, which simplifies the organisation of rehabilitation programmes and encourages the development of sports activities.
The new court has already been tested by patients. In particular, serviceman Volodymyr Ponomarchuk, who lost a leg and is undergoing rehabilitation, assessed the hall’s facilities. He said he had tried basketball and table tennis here and noted the comfortable surface, which reduces the risk of slipping and is suitable for training in any footwear. According to him, such a space is important because it combines physical activity and rehabilitation.
The new sports court covers an area of 450 square metres. In addition to the main training area, the facility is equipped with changing rooms and toilets, making the space convenient for extended training sessions and competitions.
The initiative to create the sports space came from the team of the First Territorial Medical Association. Preparation and implementation of the project took about a year. Donors — Carlsberg and the international non-governmental organisation Lion Club — contributed to its funding and fit-out.
The new UNBROKEN sports space will be open both to patients of the rehabilitation centre and to staff of St Panteleimon Hospital, complementing the existing opportunities for comprehensive physical and psychological rehabilitation.