THERE is talk that the Ukrainian Premier League is set to return after football matches were suspended when Russia invaded. There will be no live audiences and matches will supposedly be played behind closed doors with safety measures in place.
I thought—is this crazy? No country in history that has been invaded has pushed through with any sporting event. Wouldn’t this make an ideal target for these inhumane Russians who have lied about their wrongdoings and have bombed indiscriminately? And is this a huge PR move?
I know the Ukrainian national team competed abroad for World Cup qualification and that is different. On home soil?
Wow this is saying something to the Ukrainian people and giving the finger to the Russians.
Just this past Sunday, I watched the film adaptation of the Tham Luang Cave Rescue of 2018 that I followed keenly in the news. As film director Ron Howard said, he was struck by the sense of volunteerism amongst the 10,000 people who took part in the rescue efforts.
And the same can be said for the plight of Ukraine that undergoes daily attacks from Russia.
Polish sports stars—tennis player Iga Swiatek and footballer Robert Lewandowski who have not only spoken out against Russian aggression but have contributed to the affected person.
Last July 23, Swiatek organized a charity tennis event in Poland with the proceeds going to affected children.
Lewandowski on the other hand prematurely ended his sponsorship of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei that has been supporting Russian defense against Ukrainian hackers.
“The world cannot accept what is happening there. I hope the whole world will support Ukraine,” said FIFA’s Best Men’s Player of 2020 and 2021.
Alexander Volkov, who played in the National Basketball Association as a Russian player when Ukraine was still a satellite of the now defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics reached out to Sarunas Marciulionis, a Soviet teammate who later played for his native Lithuania, have helped transport and settle down nine Ukrainian kids in Vilnius.
A community in the German town of Hennef has provided refuge for the Ukrainian U-17 team.
The National Canoe Federations across Europe have also provided housing, food, and support for displaced Ukrainians.
And there’s a whole lot more (we haven’t included the voices and demonstrations of support by athletes from all over the world). And you have Ukrainian sports stars like Andriy Shevchenko and Elina Svitolina being named as ambassadors for UNITED @4 that aims to direct donations to Ukraine’s war effort.
Two of the greatest boxers ever in brothers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko have taken up arms to defend their nation’s capital of Kyiv. Vitali is the mayor of Kyiv. And there are others such as biathlon star Dmytro Pidruchnyi, tennis player Sergej Stachowski, boxers Oleksandr Usyk and Vasiliy Lomachenko, footballer Oleh Luzhnyi, football coach Yuriy Vernydub, and mixed martial artist Yaroslav Amosov who have also joined the armed forces of Ukraine.
It is really an unfortunate thing in our lifetime—this war. The world hasn’t even recovered from the devastating effects of the Covid-19 virus and then there’s this war that has not only disrupted the flow of basic goods and necessities, but it has also driven up prices. And China’s war games off the coast of Taiwan is not helping any.
These are utterly dangerous times we live in. One mistake could lead to a global conflagration. And despite all of this, I must say that the spirit of volunteerism, the compassion shown, and the help offered by people from all over the world tells me there is hope just yet.