The Ukrainian national kayaking and canoeing team is kicking off its campaign to secure qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles!

In most sports (such as wrestling, swimming or athletics), the qualifying tournaments will not begin until 2027. However, athletes in disciplines such as skateboarding, sport climbing, BMX freestyle and flag football will be selected at the last minute — through special Olympic Q-Series tournaments in May–June 2028.  

And whilst preparations for selection are still underway in other disciplines, kayakers and canoeists are already beginning their battle for the first crucial ranking points. 

A total of 22 athletes from the Ukrainian national team will compete in the World Cup stages in Szeged (8–10 May) and Brandenburg (14–17 May), which officially mark the start of the qualification cycle for paddlers. 

Ukrainians are entered in 15 events (9 out of 10 are Olympic). Here is the team line-up.

• Canoe: Pavlo Altukhov, Ivan Bilous, Oleg Borovyk, Yurii Vandyuk, Vitalii Vergeles, Denys Kamerilov, Taras Kuzyk, Taras Mazovskyi, Volodymyr Savchyn, Eduard Shemetilo, Lyudmyla Luzan, Anastasia Rybachok, Iryna Fedoriv.
• Kayak: Dmytro Danylenko, Oleg Kukharik, Oleksandr Zaitsev, Oleksandr Syromyatnikov, Ihor Trunov, Ivanna Dyachenko, Hanna Pavlova, Diana Rybak, Varvara Semykina.

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Let’s cheer on the Ukrainians together!

Photo (c): Rowing Ukraine