In 2021, Stanislav Hulenkov joined Ukraine's border guard, aiming for a secure position on the tranquil northwestern border to advance his promising judo career. Fast forward two years, the 22-year-old was reported missing on a war-torn battlefield far from home. His remains were confirmed a year later, marking him as one of the many Ukrainian athletes who perished during Russia's extensive invasion.
As the Summer Olympics commence in Paris this week, Ukraine is in mourning for athletes like Hulenkov, whose potential in sports was abruptly halted by the ongoing conflict, now entering its 30th month. 'He was a child with clear plans for the future,' recalled his mother, Iryna Hulenkova, at the gym in Lutsk where he trained as a youngster. 'He always knew what he would do next.'
At least 488 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have died since early 2022, including about two dozen who were European or world champions, according to Serhiy Bykov, a sports ministry spokesperson. Notable among them was weightlifter Oleksandr Pielieshenko, a fourth-place finisher at the 2016 Olympics, who was killed in eastern Ukraine on May 5 at the age of 30. The two-time European Champion had enlisted in the military shortly after Russia's invasion, his second encounter with war after escaping the Luhansk region in 2014 due to Russia's instigation of a separatist conflict there.
Despite initial threats of a boycott, Ukraine is participating in the Games with a delegation of 140 athletes and 95 coaches, smaller than usual. Their training was conducted under the shadow of frequent Russian air strikes that have devastated infrastructure and plunged Ukrainian cities into darkness. Russian and Belarusian athletes, due to Belarus's role in facilitating the 2022 invasion, are competing as neutrals, forbidden from playing national anthems or displaying flags and emblems. Ukrainian sports officials have advised their athletes to avoid interactions with competitors from these neighboring countries.
