Training among ruins in Chernihiv when sport is another victim of war

Ruins and memories are what remains of a ski training center in Chernihiv (Ukraine), where Olympic athletes lived for decades before it was destroyed by the Russians. Its staff now awaits its reconstruction so that young talents, who are now training in precarious conditions, can aspire to medals in the future.

A row of damaged medals line the windowsill where the office of Vitali Parshukov, director of the complex and experienced coach of its youth school, used to be.

“Our former student, biathlete Valentina Tserbe, won the first Olympic medal in the history of independent Ukraine in 1994. More recently, our biathlete Hristina Dmitrenko won a bronze at the European Championships,” Parshukov says.

For 45 years it was a key center for thousands of Ukrainian skiers and biathletes, says Parshukov, showing the charred and partially demolished remains of the large complex.

“Here there was everything to train. It hosted Ukrainian and international tournaments and many of the employees and athletes lived here permanently,” Explain.

The Russian invasion

The accommodation, gym and warehouses with all the valuable equipment, including dozens of professional rifles and skis, were destroyed during the Russian attempt to take Chernihiv in northern Ukraine two years ago.

The training base, located at the very entrance to the city, had to be used by Ukrainian soldiers and was repeatedly targeted by Russian aviation. At one point, Russian troops entered his territory and threw grenades into his basement to kill the remaining Ukrainian soldiers, Parshukov says.

While Parshukov himself remained in his nearby home, some staff and athletes endured shelling of the center for days before being evacuated.

“It was very painful. The basis is my life, with so much effort invested in it”says Parshukov.

He remains proud of the “important role” he played in the defense of Chernigiv.

Hopes for the future

Despite everything, life continues at the base. Some of the staff live in a temporary building, which also houses more than a hundred displaced Ukrainians. Equipment, provided by international sponsors, is also stored there.

A group of children about ten years old are training, under the direction of coach Zhanna Zots, right in front of the destroyed building, while the five-kilometer-long track in the nearby forest remains contaminated by explosives.

“We have to do it. “His childhood cannot be left on hold,” explains Nina Lemesh, renowned biathlete and head of the regional section of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.

Although Russia continues its attacks, many residents have returned to this border region and want their children to continue developing, he says.

Hosting high-level athletes is, however, impossible until the base is reestablished. “We will have to rebuild it from scratch”emphasizes Lemesh.

Reconstruction can only begin after the end of hostilities, he says, with funding for the country’s defense being a clear priority.

For now, it is able to function thanks to the support of the International Biathlon Federation, while Lemesh also hopes that foreign investors will help rebuild the center and keep its legacy alive.

“No” to the Russians at the Olympic Games

Some 500 sports facilities and training grounds have been damaged or destroyed by the large-scale Russian invasion.

The decision of the International Olympic Committee to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the Olympic Games, even as neutrals, is “shameful” under such circumstances, opines Lemesh.

“Russia has always exploited sport for political purposes. “Its athletes represent the Army, support the invasion or are used as an example for the soldiers,” Explain.

“Not a single Russian athlete has contacted us to express their condolences or offer any kind of support”Zots points out.

“I wish Tomas Bach (the president of the International Olympic Committee) would come here to see everything with his own eyes”says Lemesh.

It may interest you