Sport is more than just the fame and money for the athletes. For thousands of years, athletes have put their bodies on the line for their legacy and honour. The Ukrainian sportsmen of different disciplines have all gathered now to fight for their country. Because what could be more honourable than fighting for your homeland? The following sports stars have joined the fight against Russia and are laying everything on the line to ensure justice and freedom.
Vitali Klitschko and Wladimir Klitschko are brothers who have made their careers in boxing and later became heavyweight boxing champions. Vitali has been nominated as the mayor of the Ukrainian capital city Kyiv. On the other hand, Wladimir is already in the military defence of his country. The elder brother has announced his plans to take arms for their country alongside his brother against the Russian invasion.
Oleksandr Usyk is a 35-year-old professional Ukrainian boxer. The remarkable athlete became a world boxing champion in two different weight classes. Now the mighty but humble boxer has set himself to protect his country. On fighting for his country, the pious Usyk, in an interview, said that his soul belongs to the lord and his body belongs to his country.
“‘It is my duty to fight”, said the number eighth pound for pound boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko. The two-times Olympic gold medalist could have just stayed in the boxing industry to face off against his rival in a multimillion-dollar match. But the braveheart has let all that go and enlisted himself in the capital’s territorial defence unit.
Famous Ukrainian wrestler, the country’s only gold medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and also the first black member of parliament in Ukraine, Zhan Beleniuk, has also been covertly active ever since the invasion. In an interview with Sport.ua, he revealed that he has three pistols and a grenade on his table to fight against anyone who comes to invade his area. He, along with his fellow MPs, are said to be in the hit list of the Russians. But, in spite of that, he has gone out vigilantly to help out the people in his area and also in preparing them for the ensuing battle.
Meanwhile, former Ukrainian national football team coach and Chelsea legend, Andriy Shevchenko, has opened up his own mansion in Surrey for the Ukrainian refugees.
Many Ukrainian football players represent in the giant European leagues. Some of them have raised a fund for the Ukrainian military. These footballers include:
- Ruslan Malinovskiy (Atalanta, Serie A);
- Andriy Yarmolenko (West Ham United, Premier League);
- Viktor Kovalenko (Atalanta, Serie A);
- Oleksandr Zinchenko (Manchester City, Premier League);
- Vitaliy Mykolenko (Everton, Premier League).
These five players, along with a few others who also play abroad, have donated a total of 500,000 euros already to the Ukrainian military. Against Russia, probably Ukraine’s biggest asset is its people. And, their athletes are doing a great job in training, improving, and lifting the spirits of the general public in the war-stricken nation.
