Sawt Falasteen - Future bleak unless Ukraine invests in young sporting talent: athletics chief

Olha Saladukha, a former triple jumper who won world gold in 2011, said despite the grinding conflict Ukraine was looking to the future.

"What matters most to us is the next generation," she told AFP by email.

"We are aware that many children have left Ukraine due to the war, and it is uncertain if they will return," while others had been killed or abducted.

Ukrainian coaches and athletes across all sports have been killed and a massive amount of infrastructure destroyed in the war.

"If we do not invest in youth sports now, we risk losing an entire generation, and in a few years, there may be no one to represent Ukraine at the world championships or the Olympic Games," she added.

Saladukha said Ukraine was creating projects for children's athletics, developing clubs, and offering training and workshops for youth coaches.

"We regularly organise exciting competitions for kids," the said.

Not only was it a way of safeguarding the future of track and field in Ukraine, it also provides "a way to help children escape the harsh realities of war, giving them a sense of happiness and warmth during these dark times", she said.

Ukraine sent a 23-member team to the world championships in Tokyo and have been represented at every major global event since Russia invaded in February 2022.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the Olympic women's high jump champion, won Ukraine's only medal in Tokyo, a bronze. Her height of 1.97 metres was 13cm below the world record she set last year although the competition was affected by torrential rain.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has been Ukraine's most steadfast supporter in the sporting world.

Unlike some sports in which Russia and Belarus, regarded as Moscow's allies, are allowed to compete as neutral athletes, they are barred outright from athletics, even at the Olympics.

- 'Fear and sleepless nights' -

Saladukha, who admits "it is difficult to predict how much of (the infrastructure) can be rebuilt, but we will do everything possible", said sending young athletes to international events was crucial.

"For these young competitors, participating in international events is also about finding meaning and hope for themselves."

She highlighted how Ukrainian under-18 and under-20 coach Anna Ryzhykova had taken a group of more than 100 young athletes to compete in Brno, in the Czech Republic.

Ryzhykova, a two-time European championships 400m hurdles silver medallist, told AFP she was "emotionally exhausted by the war" and needed a change as she had lost the joy of competing.

She admits her coaching role "is a huge responsibility" but she feels ready to bring through the next generation of Ukrainian talent.

"The most important thing is for to give talented children a chance in life through sport," she told AFP.

"When you have lost almost everything, sport can be the pathway to achieve your dreams through your own effort.

"Beyond the medals, this is about building hope and resilience for the next generation.

"By investing in young athletes now, we're not only nurturing future champions but also keeping alive the spirit of Ukraine, building a strong society."

Ryzhykova said athletics was an unforgiving world and even after experiencing constant bombardments, athletes still had to perform.

"In Ukraine we live in a distorted reality where, after a night of attacks, everyone still turns up to training and competitions as if nothing happened," said the 35-year-old.

"Fear and sleepless nights are never an excuse for poor performance.

"For someone living abroad, it's difficult to understand what we feel.

"After four years of full-scale war, it has become almost 'normal'. Children are afraid of loud sounds, they study and sleep in basements, and they can tell by ear whether it's a drone or a missile."

Ryzhykova, who suffered a personal loss as the director of the sports school where she first trained was killed, said she could not give an "optimistic forecast" about the future.

"What I can say is that everyone currently leading Ukrainian athletics is putting in all their energy to keep the system alive, to support young athletes and to create the conditions for new talent to shine -- even in these incredibly hard circumstances."

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