Today, Lviv meets the Ukrainian team of athletes who represented our country at the Warrior Games in the USA (Orlando). The Ukrainian national team won 93 medals here and returned to its homeland today.
“Ukraine took part in such competitions for the first time and achieved incredible results. In total, our team consists of 40 athletes, but only 32 went to the USA, because, unfortunately, we have losses among team members. Despite all these trials that our country is going through now, our wounded warriors, veterans have gone through a very difficult path and participated in the Warrior Games. Our athletes almost did not have the opportunity to prepare for the competition, like other teams that do not live in the war. Our heroes fought, treated, volunteered, after which they were able to represent Ukraine at international competitions very well,” said Yulia Laputina, Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine.
The minister presented the sportsmen with honorary awards and thanked them for their achievements.
“Today in indomitable Lviv there are indomitable heroes who tore the sports world apart and showed how to win. Thanks to them, the Ukrainian flag was raised over the pedestal up to a hundred times. It is a great honor for me that the first meeting of this kind in Ukraine is taking place today in Lviv, the minister congratulates them with awards from the president. I thank the heroes for their achievements,” said Andriy Sadovy, mayor of Lviv.
One of the participants in the competition was paramedic Yulia Paevska (call sign “Tyra”) from Mariupol, who was in captivity and then found the strength to represent Ukraine in the Warrior Games.
“We are extremely proud of our achievements, the number of medals. The won “gold” is a symbol of the real gold of our beautiful nation, our people, our soldiers. We had the honor of representing this community at international competitions and gaining glory for our state and our army,” said Yuliya Paevska.
Serhii Kalytyuk, Viktor Legkodukh, Ihor Galushka, Dmytro Afanasyev and Oleksandr Zastavskyi represent Lviv Region in various sports at the Warrior Games. In particular, military Serhii Kalytyuk won 2 “gold”, 1 “silver” and 1 “bronze”. After returning from the USA, the boy aims to promote sports among war veterans.
“Now, more than ever, it is important that the Ukrainian flag be raised at all venues, wherever possible. We deservedly won all these awards and proved that Ukrainians are a strong nation.
Personally, I do not plan to stop and will continue to be an ambassador of sports among fighters. Movement is life and it was sports that helped me at one time. Many do not have enough motivation to pick themselves up and move, no matter what, so I want to promote this among the Ukrainian military,” emphasizes Serhiy Kalytiuk.