On December 21, an inclusive competition called Victory of the Unconquered took place in Kaniv. More than 50 war veterans and military personnel from different regions of the country competed in four sports: bench press, rowing on a simulator, air bike and kettlebell snatch.
The sporting event was supported for the third time this year by MHP together with the NGO Strongman Federation of Ukraine as part of the MHP Poruch program for the reintegration of military and veterans.
Veteran Ivan Kramarenko from Kaniv is participating in this competition for the first time. He served in the Third Assault Brigade as a machine gunner. During the defense of Avdiivka, he was seriously wounded and underwent extensive rehabilitation. He says that sport came in handy:
- Sport should be in every person's life, and of course it will be useful for the recovery of guys like me - for veterans, - Ivan says. - After being wounded, proper exercise helped me in my rehabilitation. It also keeps me mentally upbeat and positive.
By the way, the SportBars team, in which Ivan competed, won an honorable 6th place out of 18 teams.
It was the second time that Yevhen Rudenko from Kaniv visited the Victory of the Unconquered. In the summer, he participated in a tournament in Cherkasy. He was among the first to defend Ukraine. In 2014, as part of the 80th Lviv Air Assault Brigade, he liberated Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. He also held the defense in the Luhansk sector. After being seriously wounded, he lost his right arm.
"I like the atmosphere, the mood that prevails at the competition. And most importantly, there are a lot of guys like me who went through the same things as me. It's about unity and feeling part of a veteran community," said Yevhen." Sport is one of the best methods of rehabilitation when a person doesn't know what to do after the war, it really saves them. I know this from my own experience."
The main judge of the competition in Kaniv was traditionally the world strongman champion Vasyl Virastiuk.
Serhiy Konyushok, president of the Strongman Federation of Ukraine:
"Today, we try to hold competitions not only in the main cities, but also in small communities, so that local veterans can also participate. Of course, there are issues with logistics, with the fact that our country is a "barrier" country, but in fact, this is not a problem. The main challenge is in the psychology of the veteran, who must receive a powerful incentive and impetus to leave home and return to active life. And this is our biggest goal and mission."
Tetiana Volochai, Head of the Community Development Council of the MHP for Community Charitable Foundation:
"Initiatives such as Victory of the Unconquered demonstrate the power of sport in recovery, integration and motivation. In particular, they encourage veterans to set new goals and achieve them while feeling supported. Today in Kaniv, for the first time, the family format of this event was held, when veterans came to the competition with their families and friends, who supported and cheered, and also participated in various workshops together."
Sergiy Radko, Director of the Broiler Chicken Processing Complex at Myronivska Poultry Farm:
"Veterans are gradually returning to the enterprise and communities, and our common task is to create conditions in which they can feel comfortable and receive proper conditions for reintegration. That is why we support the development of adaptive sports in Kaniv district in specific ways - we help organize training and assist in opening useful locations. For example, recently, thanks to MHP's grant projects , modern adaptive sports clubs were opened in Stepantsi and Kaniv."
As a result, the bronze medalists of the competition were the "Strong in Spirit" team from Rivne, the second place went to the guys from "Sturmovyi Dnipro" from Cherkasy, and the first place went to the team from Mariupol "Heart of Azovstal".
"The Victory of the Unconquered event in Kaniv brought together not only veterans but also their families. More than 100 children took part in creative workshops on clay modeling, soap making, Christmas candles and amulets. And in the final, everyone enjoyed Cossack kulesh from veteran Yuriy Hrytsay.