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Support Athletics in Ukraine |
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Yuriy Haharyn Stadium, Chernihiv |
Why you should consider donating to Ukraine's athletics federation.. |
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has damaged every part of the country. And every part needs financial support. If you are active in athletics, consider supporting your counterparts in Ukraine by donating directly to the Ukrainian Athletics Federation.
Ukraine's government is receiving funding from other governments. But at every level, people's lives have been turned upside down. On the ground, people know best where any donations can go. Anything you give will end up going to real people, many of whom worked in sport and have lost their source of income.
"Anyone working in sport is basically out of a job for the next 2-3 years" - Ivan Kachkyivski, IKS (Ukraine's timing and results provider), March 2022
Competing under incredible pressure, Ukraine's top athletes shone this summer, taking 5 medals including 2 golds at the European Championships in Munich. This helps keep Ukraine in the eyes of the world, and heightens the isolation of Russia.
"We hear various statements from the International Olympic Committee on the possibility of the return of Russians and Belarusians, but you all have to understand that our position will remain unambiguous and unchanging: we support Ukraine and sanctions will continue! Yesterday we talked to Eugene Pronin and I assured FLAU that World and European Athletics will always be on the side of truth! " - Lord Sebastian Coe, Tallinn, 22 October 2022
We all learned during Covid that exercise and sport are important for mental health of individuals and of society. Amazingly, Ukraine continues has been hosting domestic competitions, once it was reasonably safe to do so. You can follow their results here. All of this carries some cost, even if it's just people paying for fuel and transport to move around the country.
If you want to contribute more generally to the defence or reconstruction of Ukraine, including buying Yevhen's unit some more drones, check out United 24, run by the Ukrainian government.