Dozens of Ukrainian track and field athletes and coaches preparing for the World Championships in August may receive funding for training camps by the World Athletics. The International Federation will invest 190,000 USD and prioritize the replacement of the pole jump equipment, the discipline of Ukrainian legend Sergey Bubka, which was destroyed in the Russian missile attacks.
A college in Bakhmut named after Sergey Bubka, who is vice-president of World Athletics, was part of a sports complex including a track and indoor stadium that was destroyed during fierce fighting there in recent months.
“It was the only center where athletes could hold training camps at any time of the year. Now there is nothing left in Bakhmut”, wrote the Ukrainian officials to the International Federation.
The World Athletics president Sebastian Coe vowed ahead of the August 19-27 World Athletics Championships in Budapest to do “everything in his power to help athletics in Ukraine survive and recover”. “The deliberate destruction of Ukrainian athletics facilities is also a serious attack on the accessibility of our sport”, said Sebastian Coe.
The international federation has banned athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus and both countries are expected to miss the upcoming starts. They also did not participate in the World Athletics Championships in Eugene (Oregon) last year. The headquarters’ position is the strongest among Olympic sports as the International Olympic Committee urges governing bodies to find ways to return Russia and Belarus to neutral status ahead of the Paris 2024 Summer Games.
Ukraine had a team of 22 athletes at the World Championships in the US five months after the war began. Medals were won in the high jump – silver for Yaroslava Mahuchikh among women and bronze for Andrii Protsenko among men.
“We want to make sure that Ukrainian athletes have the same opportunity to compete and succeed this year”, said Sebastian Coe of the World Athletics.
