Ukraine Initiative

Utah welcomes Ukrainian athletes in comprehensive training, humanitarian outreach effort

The Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation will welcome displaced Ukrainian athletes beginning in May in an all-encompassing humanitarian and sporting initiative to provide a safe haven and training opportunities amid unrest and turmoil in their home country.

As a leader in both Olympic and Paralympic sport and championing the resettlement of refugees from around the world, Utah is uniquely qualified to provide world-class training and stability to these athletes, coaches and family members. An estimated 65,000 refugees, former refugees and their children live in Utah, according to a 2021 Utah WorkForce Refugee Services report. Athletes from over 30 countries train or compete in the state each year.

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Every aspect of the group’s transportation, lodging, training and meal costs will be fully covered for the duration of their stay through a public and private fundraising effort organized through the Community Foundation of Utah and Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation.

Both organizations are working closely with Sergey Bubka – a 4-time Olympian, Olympic gold medalist and senior vice-president of World Athletics and President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine – to ensure all of the athletes’ needs are met.

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Program Details

Nearly 50 athletes, coaches and family members from Ukraine are scheduled to arrive in Utah. Athletes arriving in Utah compete in the sports of curling and freestyle skiing. Curling features athletes sliding stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area. Freestyle skiing encompasses the disciplines of aerials, moguls, freeskiing and ski cross combining traditional skiing with acrobatics.

The Utah Olympic Oval and Weber County Ice Sheet will provide curling training alongside University of Utah provided housing for the first group of athletes beginning in mid-May.

A second group of athletes, coaches and family members is scheduled to arrive later this summer with housing and freestyle skiing training at Utah Olympic Park along with additional training resources at the U.S. Ski and Snowboard USANA Center of Excellence in Park City.

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If you’re interested in further information or opportunities with the UOLF Ukraine Outreach Initiative, please click the link and enter your contact details below.

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