Everyone is a Winner: Unique Competition for Veterans with Severe Injuries

“If you want to go fast – go alone. If you want to go far – go together.”
— Traditional African proverb

On Sunday, September 14, 2025, the “Olympic Style” sports complex of the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine (NUFESU) became the arena for incredible sports achievements. The team of the “Aybolit: On the Way to Recovery” project participated in special competitions for veterans with severe injuries and disabilities.

Sixteen out of 17 participants, including one woman, successfully completed the 25-meter distance, while eight managed the 50-meter swim. “Each of them is living proof of mental fortitude. They don’t just swim—they shatter stereotypes,” emphasizes Viktoriya Kramarenko, head of the Wings of Victory Foundation and the “Aybolit” project.

“When we started the swimming project almost two years ago, many considered this idea utopian,” Viktoriya shares. “The project aimed not only at systematic long-term rehabilitation but also at sports achievements that would eventually allow veterans with severe injuries and disabilities to join Ukraine’s professional sports community. But I believed—no, I was certain—we would succeed. Having been involved in professional sports for years, including serving as press secretary for the Ukrainian Aeromodelling Sports Federation, I’ve seen firsthand how sports work miracles. How one strong, motivated individual can inspire hundreds.”

The “Aybolit” team’s training began in January 2024 under a cooperation memorandum with NUFESU. Sessions take place at the “Olympic Style” complex in close collaboration with the university’s rehabilitation center.

Since then, the project has expanded opportunities for free team training. We’ve installed sports equipment from the Wings of Victory Foundation, and October will see the resumption of machine-based workouts. The rehabilitation room now features state-of-the-art equipment from Nuga Best for musculoskeletal recovery.

“I was amazed when our team started discussing competition cycles with named awards and prizes,” Kramarenko notes. “Many participants have significantly improved their personal results compared to previous competitions.”

The veterans’ desire to transform friendly meets into genuine competitions speaks volumes. “We’re on the right path, though this recovery journey remains immensely challenging for all of us,” Kramarenko stresses.

Post-competition, everyone gathered outside for group photos and emotional exchanges. Some veterans asked whether “Aybolit” could maintain this high-value project enabling free rehabilitation and professional training at university facilities. “We’ll do our best,” we affirm.

During the event, the “Aybolit” project received a Virgin Mary icon painted on an ammunition crate fragment by renowned iconographers Oleksandr Klymenko and Sonya Atlantova. The artists—creators of the “icons on weapon crates” concept—have sponsored the project since its inception. Their works reside in collections of the Pope, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Ukraine’s President, and King Charles III of Britain.

The icon was presented by our partner and friend Dmytro Kulibaba—veteran of the 114th Territorial Defense Brigade, deputy head of the War Veterans and Volunteers Association.

We sincerely thank the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine (NUFVSU), the Olympic Style Sports Complex, and the NUFVSU Training and Rehabilitation Center for their partnership in developing the Aybolit project’s aquatic therapy activities:

Oleksandr Pyzhov, NUFVSU Acting Rector
Ruslan Sanzharov, Olympic Style Sports Complex Director
Viktor Korzh, Rehabilitation Center Director
Vadym Dombrovsky, Ukrainian Paralympic Team Coach
Roman Vakulenko, Rehabilitation Physician

Gratitude to project photographer Anton Fedorov for capturing our events.

We thank all our colleagues in the small but resilient “Aybolit: On the Way to Recovery” team.

‼ This initiative is realized by the Wings of Victory charity within the Capable and Resistant Program implemented by the East Europe Foundation with the financial support of Switzerland.

We also express our sincere gratitude to our permanent sponsors, without which the activities of the project would be impossible: