Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Sergei Bubka's days are long and his nights are short.
The former pole vault world record holder and President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine recounted his daily life in an interview with the IOC website.
“Day in and day out, I spend every second coordinating efforts with the IOC, my NOC team, national federations and government to locate athletes, coaches and their families and then figure out how we can help them. the best.
It is very difficult because communications with the people there are constantly interrupted.
I spend all day in meetings and on the phone.
I can have dozens of calls in just a few minutes.
Sometimes I fall asleep at midnight with the phone in my hand.
But like all Ukrainians, I have trouble sleeping.
So I wake up again at three in the morning and turn to my phone to make more calls and exchange messages with my family, friends, athletes and other members of our sports community.
I sometimes take sleeping pills, but they only allow me to sleep for a few more hours before sleep is interrupted again.
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“We want Ukrainian athletes to participate in international sports competitions”
Its goal is to help “as many Ukrainian athletes and citizens as possible.
(...) Some athletes, coaches and their families still live in the war zone.
Other athletes are out of the country and need assistance in different forms.
Despite the difficult conditions they continue to train.
They show the strength of their mind.
We also want Ukrainian athletes to participate in international sports competitions.
We want them to have the chance to win.
We want to see our flag and hear our anthem in every sports arena around the world.
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Bubka also paid tribute to the outpouring of solidarity displayed by the world Olympic community around Ukraine.
“It's a real example of the Olympic values in action.
I am very touched by the personal messages I have received, not only from the IOC, the NOCs or the world athletics family, but also from the international sports family and beyond.
These messages relate to the strong condemnation of the invasion, the war and the violation of the Olympic Truce.
I am so grateful for the help that the Olympic Movement, the IOC Executive Board and President Bach have offered to the Ukrainian Olympic community.
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After announcing the creation of a humanitarian fund with Olympic Solidarity and the European Olympic Committees, the IOC has already released an initial amount of 200,000 dollars to support the most urgent actions.
We are also discussing with the International Federations, who have given us the assurance that the situation of Ukrainian athletes will be taken into consideration for the world rankings in particular.
The Federations have also authorized the use of their development funds for urgent humanitarian purposes.
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Bubka also wants Ukrainian athletes to continue competing internationally despite the war.
“Our athletes can inspire others by showing the resilience of the Ukrainian people and helping to send a message of solidarity and peace.
The recent outstanding performances of Ukrainian Paralympians, who won the second most medals at the Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, are a good example of this.
The International Federations and NOCs have also understood this and are doing extraordinary things to welcome Ukrainian athletes and facilitate their participation in sporting events.
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