Ukrainian Diaspora Olympiad planned for July in Pennsylvania

by Roman Stelmach

HORSHAM, Pa. - Organizational meetings for the third Ukrainian Diaspora Olympiad were held on the grounds of the Ukrainian American Sports Center Tryzub on October 30 and December 4, 1999.

Present for the meetings were representatives of many organizations that agreed to participate for this event. Groups represented were Plast, Ukrainian Scouting Organization, The Ukrainian American Youth Association (SUM), and the umbrella organization, Ukrainian Sports Federation of the U.S.A. and Canada (USCAK).

The October 30 meeting consisted of introductions and a short review and discussion of past Olympiads. The committee then proceeded to the work of organizing the upcoming Olympiad. Ihor Chyzowych, longtime president of Tryzub, was elected as the chairman of the committee. The committee also decided on the dates of the event: July 1- 4, 2000. Many sports were chosen, including soccer, volleyball, tennis, golf, swimming, track and chess.

An outside chance exists that softball may be added, since this game is the favorite pasttime of this country and the manager of "Baseball Ukraine," Basil Tarasko, is currently available to work on this project.

The December 4 meeting was dedicated to reports from George Lesiuk and Eugene Chyzowych on the acquisition of venues for the sports of volleyball and soccer, respectively.

Mr. Lesiuk was pleased to report that a nearby high school, with an air conditioned gymnasium, should serve very well as the site for the volleyball competitions. Mr. Chyzowych reported that there are two excellent sites available for soccer games.

It was noted that the Tryzub clubhouse is currently under renovation, and Mr. Chyzowych promised that all construction will be finished in time for the Olympiad. He noted that, with the generosity of Philadelphia's Ukrainian Selfreliance Federal Credit Union, the newly expanded and refurbished clubhouse will serve as an important gathering area for all participants and guests.

Interested teams, individuals and volunteers should contact Mr. Chyzowych at (215) 725-4430.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 2, 2000, No. 1, Vol. LXVIII

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