Ukrainian athletes “We play with 489 people from heaven”
Athletes who lost their families and trained in fear of air raids: “It’s a miracle to be in the Olympics” Self-proclaimed diplomats who speak out against the injustice of the Russian invasion The city of Paris awards the Order of Grand Vermeille.
On the 1st (local time), Mayor Anne Hidalgo (front row, right) awarded the ‘Grand Vermeil’ medal to Ukrainian athletes who participated in the 2024 Paris Olympics at Paris City Hall in France.
“You are the true heroes.”
Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, said this on the 1st (local time) while awarding the Grand Vermeille medal, the highest decoration of Paris, to Ukrainian athletes who participated in the 2024 Paris Olympics at the Paris City Hall. It was to encourage the Ukrainian team that advanced to the Olympics despite the war that has been going on for nearly three years and to express support and solidarity. The
20 or so athletes who represented the team up on stage at the ceremony rarely smiled. Instead of smiling, they greeted them with a moment of silence before a photo of the “489 Ukrainian team in heaven” was projected on a screen above the stage. It was to commemorate the athletes and coaches who died after Russia’s airstrikes on Ukraine in February 2022 and were unable to challenge for the Olympics.
Ukraine will be participating in 26 sports, including gymnastics, archery, track and field, and diving, with 140 athletes. It is the smallest team Ukraine has ever participated in during the summer Olympics. Many athletes died or were unable to participate due to the war. Athletes from Russia and Belarus, who were involved in the war, were banned from competing. However, 15 Russian athletes were selected as neutrals through screening.
“The Paris Olympics are a festival, but Ukrainian athletes live every day like a war,” said Ukrainian athletes who attended the event.
“Every time I turn on my smartphone, I get a warning about an air raid on Ukraine,” said 18-year-old diver Oleksiy Sereda, whose hometown is near the Russian-occupied southern Kherson region. “It’s hard to concentrate on the game because I keep calling my father and sister to ask if they are alive.” Ukrainian Sports Minister Matvi Bidny said, “Recently, our gymnast had to compete after hearing the news that her family had died in a Russian missile attack,” and lowered her head, saying, “This is our reality.”
Some athletes said that participating in the Olympics itself was a miracle, rather than winning a medal. They made it to the Olympic stage with an indomitable will despite the grief of losing their family, missile and drone attacks, and the resulting power outages that made training nearly impossible. Track and field athlete Anne Lizhikova said, “After the war, we had no choice but to stop training for several months, but we did not give up,” and added, “We really wanted to come to the Olympics and ask the world not to forget us and to help us.” The athletes took on the role of “diplomats” who would inform the world of the injustice of the Russian invasion at the Olympics, where the world’s attention is focused. Sereda emphasized, “We will refuse to talk to or shake hands with athletes from Russia (even if they are from a neutral country).” Minister Bidny appealed, “I hope you remember that this war is not just our war, but a war for the common values of the world.” 바카라사이트
