Ukraine’s highest sport executives met youth Olympic team on Wednesday in ‘Koncha Zaspa’ national Olympic centre near Kyiv to deliver their message of support to the young athletes who depart to Nanjing, China, for II Summer Youth Olympics.
58 athletes from Ukraine will compete in 22 sports at the top forum for the age group of the 14-18 years old along with other 3500 participants from more than 200 nations. Young Olympians will compete in 28 sports and 222 events in total during days from 16 to 28 of August.
Artur Palatny, Chair of the Parliament's Sport Committee, conveyed greetings from the Chair of the Parliament Mr Turchynov to the team, while Minister of Sport and Youth Dmytro Bulatov greeted young athletes on behalf of Ukraine's Prime Minister Mr Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Mr Pavlo Klimkin. Temporary charge d'affaires of the PRC Embassy in Ukraine Mr Chen Wei took part in the meeting, as well as Kyiv Major and start boxer Vitaly Klitchko and Ukraine NOC President Sergey Bubka.
Speaking to the young Olympians, Bubka said, 'I know that in Nanjing you will meet very tough competition with the planet's best athletes. Note that your dearest award from the YOG would be experience and new knowledge, new emotions and new friends from around the world. Ukraine will always behind you, so I hope that our support would inspire you'.
2014 YOG Young Ambassador from Ukraine star boxer Oleksandr Usyk as well as Olympic champion and 4-time World Champion fencer Olha Kharlan joined the greetings. They also took part in the symbolical ceremony of delivery the national flag to the youth team along with Ukraine's Ambassadors for previous Youth Olympics Iryna Merleni and Kateryna Derun. Four youth team members who accepted the flag are the most decorated athletes in their age groups – boxer Viktor Petrov, sprinter Joice Koba, pentathlete Anton Kuznetsov and taekwondo rising star Iulia Miyuts.
The national Youth Olympics' Flame relay held in Ukraine finished at the meeting where Oleksandr Usyk handed the flame to Ukraine's chef de mission and Olympic medalist Anna Sorokina.
In addition to the competitions Youth Olympic Games include wide culture and educational activity program aimed to provide young people with the information on various issues of Olympic sport, promote Olympic values and healthy life style, the ideas of clean sport and fair play. Games participants will get a chance to visit star athletes' workshops, to receive useful knowledge on trauma prevention, nutrition, doping fight and media communication.
Follow the exclusive news from Ukrainian team in Nanjing at noc-ukr.org and Ukraine NOC social networks.
