For Ukrainian competitors in Paris for the Olympics, joy goes hand in hand with sorrow.
FILE - Olga Kharlan, of Ukraine, stands during the women's team sabre event against Uzbekistan at the Fencing World Championships in Milan, Italy, July 29, 2023. Athletes are striving to enjoy the dream of competing at one of the worlds most prestigious sports events while carrying the burden of the war back home. , joy goes hand in hand with sorrow.
Kharlan had a unique route to the Paris Games. She was drawn against Russian fencer Anna Smirnova at last year’s world championships. Smirnova protested after Kharlan refused to shake her hand, and the Ukrainian was disqualified. The International Olympic Committee in its history of participation in the Summer Games, with 140 competitors in 26 sports. The most are in athletics, at 25, while there's just the one — Buhrova — in badminton. The war deeply and negatively affected Ukraine’s sports industry., and those who pass a two-step vetting procedure can compete individually as neutrals. They must not have publicly supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine or be affiliated with military or state security agencies.
Anastasiya Kozhenkova, a Ukrainian rower who won a gold medal with her team at the 2012 Summer Olympics, said it is a significant achievement for Ukraine to even be represented amid the war.
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