During the war in Ukraine, 456 national-level athletes died

456 Ukrainian athletes – members of national teams have died since the beginning of the war. About it reported in an interview with Deutsche Welle, Acting Minister of Ukraine for Youth and Sports Matvey Bidny. According to him, the number of dead and wounded Ukrainian athletes is growing almost daily.

Bidny said that some sportsmen and women become victims of Russian attacks in the rear, but most of them die at the front. For example, according to Bidny, two-time European weightlifting champion Alexander Peleshenko, who took fourth place at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, died last week. He was in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the first days of the war.

In addition, according to Bidnoy, Russian shelling in Ukraine destroyed more than 500 sports facilities and about 100 youth centers. This significantly complicates both amateur training and the preparation of athletes for competitions, including Olympic ones.

• The 2024 Olympic Games will be held in Paris from July 26 to August 11. French President Emmanuel Macron called on Russia and Ukraine to declare a truce during the Olympics. Ancient historians testify that during the Olympic Games in ancient Greece, as a rule, wars stopped. In modern history, the UN has traditionally called for Olympic truces during the Games.