Soccer
• Ukraine’s U-19 team has drawn Group A with Greece, Austria and France for the UEFA U-19 Championship. Matches will run July 6-19 in Greece. The drawing was conducted on June 9 in Katerini, Greece. Group stage matches – set to be played in Katerini, Larissa and Veria, Greece – are scheduled for July 6-7, 9-10 and 12-13. The four best teams advance to the semi-finals on July 16. The final is set for July 19. Group B includes Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Russia.
• Ukraine’s national team won 2-1 against Georgia in an international friendly match on June 9 at Kunstrasen Linzer Stadium in Linz, Germany. Artem Kravets opened the scoring in the 57th minute after capitalizing on an error by Georgia’s Lasha Dvali’s pass to Georgii Loria (goalkeeper) that rebounded off the post. That goal was followed by a cross by Mykola Moroziuk from the right side to Yevhen Konoplyanka, who found the near corner of the goal in the 67th minute. Georgia responded after Levan Kenia moved the ball up the left flank and crossed the ball headed in by Mate Vatsadze in the 81st minute.
• Dynamo Kyiv won 5-4 in penalty kicks against Shakhtar Donetsk in the final of the Ukraine Cup on June 5 in Kyiv in the last game of the 2014-2015 season of the Ukrainian Premier League. Dynamo’s goalkeeper, Oleksandr Shovkovskiy, was key in blocking a penalty kick by Shakhtar’s Oleksandr Hladky. This was Dynamo’s 11th win of the Ukraine Cup (fifth time in eight finals between Dynamo and Shakhtar), and Donetsk has won it nine times (three times in the last eight meetings between the final teams). In the final standings, Dynamo topped the board with 66 points, and Shakhtar in second place with 56 points. Dynamo and Shakhtar are set to compete in the 2015-2016 UEFA Champions League, and Vorksla Poltava will join Zorya Luhansk and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the 2015-2016 UEFA Europa League.
• Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, a Zenit St. Petersburg defensive midfielder, is set for release from the Russian club after his contract expires this summer. Andre Villas-Boas, Zenit’s coach, said on April 30 the Russian Premier League would be unlikely to offer contract extensions. Ukraine’s news sources have suggested that the contract was not extended because Tymoshchuk refused to accept Russian citizenship. Tymoshchuk, 36, joined Zenit in 2013 after advancing to the UEFA Champions League final with Bayern Munich (who lost to Chelsea). Tymoshchuk has played 21 games this season with Zenit, whereas his teammate Andrey Arshavin, 33, who is the Russian national team captain, made 17 appearances this year, mostly as a substitute player and is also not being offered a contract extension. Arshavin joined Zenit in 2009.
Tennis
• Elina Svitolina lost against Anna Ivanovic of Serbia (3-6, 2-6) in the quarterfinals of the French Open that runs May 19 through June 7. In the fourth round, Svitolina defeated Alize Cornet of France (6-2, 7-6, 11-9). Sergiy Stakhovksy lost in the second round against Steve Johnson (6-2, 3-6, 6-7, 6-7) of the U.S.A.
• Elina Svitolina was knocked out of the WTA tournament in Rome on May 11 during the second round against Venus Williams of the U.S.A. 6-4, 6-3. Svitolina also lost in the second round in Madrid on May 2 against Anna Ivanovic of Serbia 6-3, 6-4. Svitolina was victorious at the WTA tournament in Marrakech, Morocco, on April 27, winning the final 7-5, 7-6(3) against Timea Babos of Hungary. Svitolina lost in the semifinal at the WTA tournament in Bogota, Columbia, on April 13 against Teliana Pereira of Brazil 7-6(7), 6-3.
• Lesia Tsurenko, ranked 64th by the WTA, lost on May 17 in Strasbourg, France, in the second round against Samantha Stosur of Austria in a walkover. In Rome, on May 11, Tsurenko lost in the second qualifying round against Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. In Madrid, on May 2, Tsurenko lost in the first qualifying round against Richel Hogenkamp of the Netherlands 7-5, 6-2.
• Sergiy Stakhovsky, ranked 54th by the ATP, lost to Alexander Dolgopolov, ranked 60th, and was eliminated in the first round during the outdoor clay tournament in Nice, France, on May 17. Dolgopolov lost to Ernestes Gulbis of Latvia (5-7, 6-4, 1-6) in the second round. Stakhovsky lost to Jonathan Eysseric of France (6-7 (7), 0-6) at the outdoor tournament in Bordeaux, France, on May 11. At the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Rome on May 10, Dolgopolov lost to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain (4-6, 3-6). Stakhovsky lost in the first qualifying round at the ATP World Masters 1000 stop in Madrid on May 3 against Alejandro Falla of Columbia (3-6, 2-6). Stakhovsky also was eliminated from the second round against Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic (5-7, 2-6) at the outdoor tournament in Munich, Germany, on April 27. Dolgopolov lost in the second round at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo on April 12, losing to Gael Monflis of France 6-7(5), 6-7(6). At other stops on the World Tour Masters, Dolgopolov lost in the fourth round in Miami on March 25, to Novak Djokovic of Serbia 7-6 (3), 5-7, 0-6.
• Elina Svitolina (21st ranked by WTA) and Alexandr Dolgopolov (69th ranked by ATP) played at the Indian Welles tournament on March 7-20. Dolgopolov was eliminated in the third round by Milos Raonic of Canada 6-7(2), 4-6, while Svitolina was eliminated in the fourth round by Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland 4-6, 6-1, 6-1. Sergiy Stakhovsky lost in the second round against Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 1-6, 4-6. Lesia Tsurenko retired in the quarterfinal round against Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 6-1, 4-1.
• Dmytro Badanov, 27, won in men’s singles in the future category at the Egypt F8 Futures international tournament in Sarm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on March 9-15. In the final, Badanov, who is ranked 621st in the world, defeated Marko Tepavac from Serbia 6-4, 6-4.
Karate
• Oleksander Yeremenko of Kherson won a fifth title in the 90 kg division at the 29th Kyokushin Karate European Championship on May 9 in Berlin. Eldar Ismailov (under-90 kg) won a third title at the competition. Mykyta Peshenko (80 kg) won silver, Anton Khyzhnytskyi (70 kg) won silver, Tatian Nemtseva (65 kg) won a bronze medal. In the junior category, Olha Voskoboinyk (60 kg) won silver, and in the Kata division (boys 12-13), Nazar Ivakhiv won silver, Ilona Aratovska (14-15 girls) won bronze. In the boys 14-15, Serhii Korogodskyi (65 kg) won bronze, Sergi Zhydko (-75 kg) won silver, Vladislav Gerko (+75 kg) won bronze; and in the boy’s 12-13 division, Mykyta Kapustin (+50 kg) won silver.
Wrestling
• Andriy Sveryd (61 kg) won silver at the Freestyle Wrestling European Championship (under-23) in Walbrzych, Poland. In the final Sveryd lost to Armenia. Ivan Kusik, (70 kg) also won silver.
Wushu
• Victor Mihalchan won three gold medals and one silver medal at the Chinese Martial Arts Tournament 2015 held in San Francisco. Representing his PN Martial Arts Academy in the U.S.A., his two students also won gold and silver medals. Mihalchan won the top spot in the overall competition.
Orienteering
• Vyacheslav Mukhidinov won the Merserlig Mulismilen race in Bergen, Norway. In the under-35 division, Mukhidinov ran 11 kilometers in 37 minutes, 21 seconds. Mukhidinov has participated in five world championships in orienteering and was a past European Champion. Working in Norway, Mukhidinov is a coach for the junior team Varegg at the Kristianand Orienterings kluub (KOK).
Weightlifting
• Ukraine topped the medal table with eight gold, three silver and one bronze for a total of 12 medals at the European Weightlifting Championship in Tbilisi, Georgia, on April 10-18. Yulia Paratova (53 kg) and Yulia Kalyna (63 kg) won three gold medals in their respective divisions. Anastasia Lysenko (+75-kg) won three silver medals in her debut. Oleg Proshak (+105 kg) won two gold and one bronze.
Martial arts
• More than 1,500 competitors took part in the National Combat Hopak Championships in Lviv in late April. Athletes from nine regions of Ukraine participated, with plans to hold international competitions.
Freestyle skiing
• Oleksandr Abramenko won the Freestyle Skiing World Cup in Minsk on March 3. He scored 117.70 and 122.62 points. Abramenko’s latest win was his third podium finish at the World Cup. In 2012 and 2014 he won second place, and he won third place in January this year during the competition in Deer Valley, Calif.
Biathlon
• Valentyna Semerenko won gold in the women’s 12.5-kilometer mass start with clean shooting, finishing in 34:32.9 seconds at the World Championships in Kontiolahti, Finland, on March 5-15. The competitions included sprint, pursuit, individual, mass start and relay races for men and women and mixed relay.
• Valj Semerenko won first place in the women’s mass start and third place in the women’s sprint at the IBU World Championships in Kontiolati, Finland, on March 3-15.
• Anna Kryvonos, 17, won gold in the 10-kilometer individual event (30:09.1 seconds) at the Junior World Biathlon Championship in Belarus on February 18.
Cycling
• A downhill mountain bike race that traditionally was held in Yalta, Crimea, has been moved to Bukovel – known as the Bukovel Horizon Cup DHI 2015. The Crimean organizers wanted to register it as a Russian event despite the Ukrainian license. The Federation of Ukrainian Cyclists appealed to the Union of Cyclists International to sort the situation out. UCI designated Bukovel as the venue for Bukovel Horizon Cup DHI 2015 that is scheduled for August 22-24.
Gymnastics
• Oleg Verniaiev won gold at the 2015 World Challenge Cup final in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on April 3-5. In the all-around, Verniaiev, 21, from Donetsk, was best in the pommel horse, with a total score of 15.275.
European Games
• Minister of Youth and Sport Ihor Zhdanov told officials during a Cabinet meeting that Ukraine is training 250 athletes to compete at the European Games to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on June 12-28. The competition is expected to attract 6,000 athletes from 49 countries, vying for 253 medals.
Hockey
• Ruslan Fedotenko, who signed a three-year $9 million contract with HC Donbas (now defunct due to the war) in the Russia-led KHL, now plays for Iowa Wild of the America Hockey League. Fedotenko, who played for the Ukrainian national hockey team during the 2002 Winter Olympics, used to play in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers.
Table tennis
• Tetyana Bilenko lost in the Round of 16 against Mima Ito of Japan 4-1 (11-5, 11-8, 10-12, 11-9, 12-10) at the World Table Tennis Championship on April 26-May 3 in Suzhou, China.
Mountaineering
• Valentyn Shcherbachev told reporters he was able to register a peak in the Himalayas as Ukraine Heroes in Kathmandu, Nepal, before the deadly earthquake that struck. “It was registered and we have a certificate. There is the Peak of Ukraine Heroes. They are the real heroes who are fighting for freedom for Ukraine on the frontlines,” Mr. Shcherbachev said on April 29.
Paralympics
• Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniyk on May 26 announced a program to rehabilitate ATO servicemen who have lost limbs with the cooperation of Ukraine’s Paralympians. The program was announced during a meeting of the committee for preparation of Ukraine’s athletes in the Olympics, Paralympics, Deaflympics, World University games, as well as world and European championships. During the announcement, local community budgets will be bolstered by 100 million hrv to youth sports schools, but beginning in 2016 the sports programs will need to be entirely funded by the local budgets.