How difficult
was for your team to get to the tournament?
It was very
difficult. We have players from the city of Mykolaiv which is occupied and
bombarded by Russians right now. On the way to Vienna, we got stuck at the
Polish borders in a queue of buses full of people who wanted to emigrate from
Ukraine to Europe. We were waiting for about 10 hours there as the borders were
closed.
It was also
complicated with coaches because all the men aged 18 to 60 cannot travel abroad.
Our baseball federation and our government were very kind and gave a permission
to us to go to this tournament.
Kids are
from different cities and from different countries because they are now refugees.
So it was not easy for me to put this team together. Some kids are in occupied
places, some of them are in Europe so it was really hard.
Can you even
get those players from occupied places and from Europe to your team?
We have one
player from the occupied area of Mykolaiv who moved from there at the beginning
of the war. All his documents were left behind in the occupied area and had to
be delivered by post to him. Otherwise he would not get the chance to escape
from there and come to the tournament. Then we have four Ukrainian players who
are currently living in Europe.
Did you have any chance to prepare for the tournament?
One month before the championship we had a training camp. We stayed in houses and bomb shelters. Kids were very happy and brave because despite all the current conditions in Ukraine with sirens, bombarding and all those noises around, they still wanted to come together and practice because they wanted to play the tournament. So we did not have much chances for preparation, only those six days but we are very grateful that WBSC, WBSC Europe and Austrian Baseball Softball Federation made it possible for us to participate. Both Ukrainian delegation and federation are very thankful for that.
It was 26
athletes and 4 coaches from Kiev, Mykolaiv, Rivne and Kropyvnytskyi. Kids were so
happy that they could do something – play baseball, meet new friends and spend
time together. They were very excited and grateful for the chance to go to
Austria.
What is
the life for them in Ukraine nowadays? Do they go to school?
They do not
go to school, they have online homeschooling.
And what
about baseball during the war? Do the clubs have any training sessions?
Clubs in
big cities like Kiev have practices near bomb shelters because it is dangerous
to be in the open spaces. In case they hear sirens, they need to go fast to the
bomb shelter. We also heard sirens while training and had to hide ourselves. Kids
were brave, they felt safe with coaches. After four months of a war, it is kind
of a normality for us.
What do
you do in a bomb shelter?
The war started in winter so we equipped the bomb shelters with batting cages and pitching mounds. We can normally practice inside, it is like a gym.
How do parents
feel about sending their children to the training camp in Ukraine?
They of
course know and understand very well that it is risky and a bomb attack can
come anytime. We do our best to be in a frequent phone connection with parents
and we follow all war rules, like immediate hiding in a bomb shelter after
sirens came out loud.
Were
there any players who could not come because parents were afraid?
One family
from eastern part of our country did not allow their boy to come. We also have
some players who are now as refugees in Europe and they were not invited to the
national team by us as they do not play baseball in their current situation.
I would also like to say that parents are also very grateful to WBSC, WBSC Europe and ABF. We are here only thanks to your support. As we do not have normal jobs in Ukraine now, it is very expensive for parents to pay for the trip, they would not be able to afford it because they have no money now. We know that Europe is doing a lot, people are very kind and allowed our kids to come. As a coach of these kids, I want to deeply thank to everyone.
What is
your ambition here at the tournament?
It is of
course to win the tournament. It is not important for me. It is important for
parents, our country and our children. Fathers of these kids are soldiers and
one of the coaches is in a war at this moment. We need to win for the Ukrainian
citizens.
Thank you for the interview.
Interview by Lucie Zawada
