Sports, support, rehabilitation: veterans' tournament united heroes in Lviv
On March 22, Lviv became the center of veteran sports - the second stage of the All-Ukrainian tournament for war veterans "STRONG UKRAINES" was held at the SKA cycling track.
244 veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war and 46 cadets of military educational institutions took part in the competition.
The participants tested their strength in four disciplines: bench press 60 and 100 kilograms, rowing on the "Concept-2" simulator, kettlebell snatch and correspondence races on the "Airbike" simulators.
The tournament was organized by the Strongman Federation of Ukraine with the support of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The general partner of the season was TC "Bukovel". Media partners of the 2025 season - 1+1 media, 2+2 TV channel, UNIAN news agency.
"Strong Ukraine" is a very telling name. Because veterans are truly strong Ukrainians, who are actually stronger than each of us - those who do not have combat experience. Therefore, we call on civilians to come to these competitions and support veterans. There is an atmosphere here that cannot be conveyed. I am very grateful to the organizers, because we have truly managed to build a community that supports each other and is already initiating its activities on the ground. So, forward to veteran sports, forward to veterans!”, - said the Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine Natalia Kalmykova.
Vasyl Virastyuk, Honorary President of the Strongman Federation of Ukraine, People's Deputy of Ukraine, noted: “We see from event to event how the number of participants is increasing. Last year, we saw a trend that more veterans with complex lower limb amputations and vision loss began to come. This is something that we did not see in 2022, when we first started the veteran competitions. And for ourselves, as for the organizers, we see this as a plus.”
The main goal of the tournament is to strengthen the patriotic spirit and rehabilitate veterans through sports. Such events not only help to return to active life, but also form a powerful veteran community that supports each other. The next stage of the All-Ukrainian tournament "STRONG UKRAINES" will be held in April in Ivano-Frankivsk, where veterans will once again prove that Ukraine is invincible, and its heroes are always ready for new achievements!
