Ukrainian sports heroes to the defense (Sabong News)

News clips from the Associated Press, CNN and BBC indicate that a number of Ukranian sports heroes have donned uniforms and ballistic helmets to defend their country against the Russian invasion. Former boxing 3-division  world champion Vasyl Lomachenko has joined a territorial defense unit.  World heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has also been pictured holding a rifle. Usyk is originally from Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Dmytro Pidruchnyi, world champion in biathlon (which combines skiing and shooting) is now in his hometown Ternopil, serving in the National Guard. He returned from the Beijing winter Olympics just before Russia launched its invasion of his country. Tennis player Serhiy Stakhovskiy had just competed in the Australian Open. When Russia invaded, he returned to Ukraine from his home in Hungary and joined up. Two other former heavyweight champions, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, have symbolic non-combat roles in Ukraine’s defense. Vitali is the mayor of Kyiv and Wladimir is a trusted adviser. Figure skater Olga Mikutina was born in Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, near the Russian border. The city has come under heavy assaults from Russian air and ground forces.  She is now active in social media posting pictures of the damage to her hometown Kharkiv, calling for  “Russian rebellion against President Vladimir Putin”. Meanwhile, ABC reported that Yevhen Malyshev, a 19-year-old former athlete on Ukraine’s junior biathlon team “died this week serving in the Ukrainian military.” In the aftermath of the Russian invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to earn the admiration of the world for  his exceptional courage and leadership. First, he declined a well-meaning offer by US President Biden and Turkey President Erdogan to have him evacuated to safer ground. “I don’t need a plane ride. I just need guns to defend Ukraine.” And then despite several reported assassination attempts, Newsweek reports that Zelensky continues to issue defiant messages  from his office to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He told the Ukrainians that he would stay in the capital Kyiv where he pledged to beat back Russian forces and rebuild his country. “I’m not hiding,” he said. “And I’m not afraid of anyone. As much as it takes to win this patriotic war of ours.” I recently picked up this inspiring bit of news from CNN Sport about a group of Filipina domestic helpers who are now making waves in Hong Kong via sports, cricket in particular.  A little more than five years ago,  a retired cricket umpire Animesh Kulkarni and domestic helper ‘Nanay’ Josie Arimas  formed the very first  all-domestic cricket team in HongKong – the SCC Divas HK. Kulkarni says the aim of the team has always been to provide domestic helpers with an alternative way to spend their time. Kulkarni told CNN Sport: “When it comes down to empowerment of those ladies, I have seen a lot of them are spending time just gathering together in Central or in Wan Chai or something. So the best option is to get involved as a team sport.” Mericris Hindoy and Jennifer Alumbro,  former softball standouts in their  hometowns, were  the first players to join the team. Others had similar training and found it easy to transition to cricket. CNN Sports reports that since the founding of the SCC Divas HK, the team has gone from strength to strength. The Divas won the 2020 Women’s Development League to claim their third title in a row. The Divas cricket team now plays Division 1 cricket in Hong Kong. For the Divas, it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about playing the game and building a community.  Strong community support has come from other domestic helpers who often show up on game days to cheer their kababayans. BPI Foundation, headed by Executive Director Owen Cammayo, was scheduled last Friday to turn over desk top computers to the Itaas Elementary School in Muntinlupa City under the foundation’s Bayanihan  Program. Itaas Elementary School, headed by Dr. Antonio Gagala, is one of the oldest public  elementary schools in Muntinlupa. It was established in 1941 primarily for the children of the New Bilibid Prison employees. Earlier, BPI Foundation donated computers to the Poblacion Elementary School,  headed by Dr. Raul Felix. Poblacion Elementary School started out as Itaas Elementary School Annex but has since outstripped its mother school in terms of enrolment. Cammayo said  donations for Muntinlupa National High School and the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa are being scheduled within the next few weeks. You may wish to share the foregoing article via Facebook, Twitter, Linked-in or Viber.