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Paralympic gold medalist in the biathlon Vitaliy Lukyanenko.
Oksana Masters, winner of a bronze medal in rowing at the 2012 PARALYMPICS in London, competed as a member of the U.S. Nordic Ski Team in the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The 24-year-old Ukraine native, a double amputee, qualified to compete in cross-country skiing and biathlon. She won a silver medal in women’s 12-km cross-country skiing and a bronze medal in 5-km sitting skiing. Some members of the Paralympic team staged “silent protests” against the turmoil in their country by covering their medals during award ceremonies. All but one of 31 Ukrainian athletes boycotted the opening ceremony’s parade in protest of Russia’s invasion into Crimea. The opening march saw a lone Ukrainian athlete, flag-bearer Mykhailo Tkachenko, greeted by a thunderous ovation by the capacity crowd.
Ukrainian SOCCER coach Gene Chyzowych was awarded the 2014 Walt Chyzowych Lifetime Achievement Award on January 18 in Philadelphia. A dedicated soccer coach and sports advocate, Gene Chyzowych, passed away on May 10, at the age of 79, following a long battle with cancer. He served as head coach of the U.S. National Soccer Team and the U.S. Olympic Team (1973-1974). Shakhtar Donetsk won the G Drive United Super Cup on February 6 in Israel, sweeping its three matches. Ukraine, the world’s top-rated soccer power not qualified for the 2014 World Cup, shut out the United States, 2-0, in an exhibition match shifted from Kharkiv to the island of Cyprus in early March. A global campaign to boycott sponsors of FIFA’s World Cup in opposition to Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea and Russia’s support of terrorist activities in eastern Ukraine was launched in May. The 2018 World Cup is scheduled to be played in Russia. Ukraine has asked FIFA to suspend Russia from hosting the World Cup. Dynamo Kyiv won its 10th Ukrainian Cup title on May 15 in Poltava, defeating Shakhtar Donets, 2-1. Earlier, Shakhtar won its fifth straight Ukrainian Premier League title on May 11, beating Zorya Luhansk 3-1. On May 22 Ukraine’s national team defeated Nigeria 2-1 in an international friendly match in Kyiv. At least nine players from Ukrainian soccer clubs saw action in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, including three (Srna, Alves da Silva and Bernard) from Shakhtar Donetsk. Shakhtar played matches in Kyiv due to the instability in the Donbas region. On July 23 the club moved its matches to Arena Lviv. The Ukrainian national team is benefitting from the modern soccer philosophies espoused by 64-year-old coach Mykhaylo Fomenko. On August 9 soccer legend Andriy Bal passed away at age 56 while on a practice session. On September 17 Ukrainian soccer star Andriy Husin, 41, died as a result of a motorcycle accident. Police in Belarus detained some 100 Ukrainian soccer fans for chanting vulgar verses directed at Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 10. The incident came a day before Mr. Putin’s arrival for a meeting of leaders from the CIS. On December 4 UEFA announced it would ban Crimean clubs from participating in Russian competitions as of January 1, 2015. It is hoped competitions in Crimea will be held by Ukrainian structures under the auspices of the Football Federation of Ukraine.
In SWIMMING, Ukraine’s synchronized swim team won first place in the senior highlight free final at the 13th FINA Synchronized Swimming World Cup 2014 in Quebec on October 2-5.
Tetiana Omelchenko (60 kg) won gold at the Golden Grand Prix de Paris Seine Ouest held February 8-9. Murzai Mehedidze (96 kg) won first place in the freestyle event at the European Championship in freestyle WRESTLING in Katowice, Poland, on June 21-22. At the Golden Grand Prix on July 24 in Baku, Azerbaijan, Alexander Khotsianivski (125 kg) won gold in the freestyle event. Yulia Tkach won gold (63 kg) at the World Championships in Uzbekistan on September 8. Alexander Khotsianivski (125 kg) won gold in freestyle at the Ramzan Kadyrov Cup in Grozny, Chechnya, on October 10.
DIASPORA SPORTS news included the 60th annual ski races organized by the Carpathian Ski Club (KLK), which took place March 1 at Hunter Mountain. Some 74 registered skiers, ranging in age from under 4 to over 75, competed. Stamford Levy defeated Sitch 2 by a score of 3-0, in the championship final of Chornomorska Sitch’s eighth annual five-a-side indoor soccer tournament on March 8 in Whippany, N.J. Nestor Paslawsky was inducted into the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Hall of Fame in April.
The USCAK Indoor Invitational Volleyball Tournament was held on May 3 at the Ukrainian American Cultural Center in Whippany, N.J. Hosted by Lys Sports Academy, the tournament was won by Chornomorska Sitch. A total of 193 teams competed at Tryzub’s 13th annual Ukrainian Nationals Soccer Tournament in Horsham, Pa., over Memorial Day weekend. There were 17 champions in the boys’ brackets and 13 in the brackets for girls. Eighty golfers from six states competed on June 7 in Tryzub’s annual golf outing at Limekiln Golf Club. The Chornomorska Sitch men’s team won first place in the second annual Ukrainian Heritage Festival Tournament in memory of Steven Howansky on June 14 in Yonkers, N.Y. A total of eight teams competed.
More than 40 participants took part in the annual USCAK-East Tennis Tournament at the Soyuzivka Heritage Center on June 28-29. The 58th annual event was contested in 12 age and gender categories in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. The 30th Ukrainian Youth Games were held on July 31-August 1 at the Ukrainian American Youth Association campgrounds in Ellenville, N.Y., and at Soyuzivka, with 154 athletes participating in friendly competition. Hosted under the auspices of USCAK, the games’ sporting dockets comprised soccer, volleyball, track and field, and swimming. The third annual USCAK National Beach Volleyball Tournament was held on August 22 in Wildwood Crest, N.J. Old Style from Chicago prevailed over Sitch Seniors to win the championship. Marko Krasij defeated 2013 champion Mykola Stroynick in the men’s finals of the 59th annual USCAK National Tennis Tournament held at Soyuzivka over Labor Day weekend. Lesia Bilak Schinnerer bested Halyna Kostenko in the woman’s final. The same venue over the same weekend saw Chornomorska Sitch win the 58th annual USCAK Swim Championships. The 16th annual Plast Chicago Golf outing was held on September 6 at Oak Brook Golf Club in Oak Brook, Ill. Fifty-two men and women golfers competed in the yearly event hosted by the Pobratymy Foundation.