Ukraine finishes at top of medal table in Brazil Summer Deaflympics
The Brazil Summer Deaflympic games concluded on May 15 and Ukraine dominated the medal table with 138 medals. The U.S. finished in second place with 55 medals.
Ukraine’s dominance is especially admirable because the country has been under attack from Russia with millions of people fleeing.
“The Daily Moth” reporter Callie Frye was able to sit down with the president of the Ukraine Deaf Sports Federation, Leonid Kasitskyi for an interview.
(Begin interview)
Callie Frye, Daily Moth Reporter:
Hello. You’re from Ukraine and the team leader. I want to ask about Ukraine’s many medals. You’ve got about 145 or something around that number. Is it the first time you’ve got this many medals or is this typical from previous Deaflympics?
Leonid Kasitskyi, UDSF President :
Hello. I will share information. Yes, here in the Brazil Deaflympics, Team Ukraine has earned many medals. Other countries aren’t here, such as China, Russia, Belarus, England, and others. It’s because of politics or the coronavirus. Ukraine has been dominant with getting medals. We’ve been strong in previous Deaflympics as well, in 2017, 2013, and 2009. We’ve come in second place. Russia has been on the top and we’ve come in second.
Frye:
So you’ve always been strong.
Kasitskyi:
During the 2005 Deaflympics in Australia, we were at the top of the medal table.
Frye:
Wow.
Kasitskyi:
Now here (in Brazil), it’s unfortunate that other countries couldn’t come. Ukraine also has a tradition of serious training. In the time since the Samsun Deaflympics in 2017, we did not rest. After the games, we went straight to training.
Frye:
You’ve constantly trained.
Kasitskyi:
Throughout the four years. We thought the Deaflympics would be in 2021, but the coronavirus pandemic disrupted that. We saw that training venues around the world were closing down. People were told to stay at home. But the Ukrainian government said our athletes must continue training. We didn’t train in open spaces but in isolated areas for deaf athletes after they were tested. We’ve been training all this time and now we’re getting many medals. So that’s why.
Frye:
Now with the war with Russia, how did Ukrainian athletes continue to train?
Kasitskyi:
The war / conflict?
Frye:
Yes, the war.
Kasitskyi:
February 24, which was when the conflict started, we were training normally. When the war started, we stopped. It was impossible to train. Many of us found refuge in Europe. For one or two months we were not sure if we could participate in the Deaflympics. The Ukrainian government said we had to proceed with participating in the games. We weren’t sure how we could because our funding was greatly reduced. An organization said they would help and other European countries offered support. The help came really fast for our sports teams such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, beach volleyball, athletics, and swimming. The support came quickly and we didn’t have to pay anything. So we kept on training and we came straight here to Brazil. We haven’t been home. And now we are seeing Ukrainians do very well with winning medals.
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Frye:
After the Deaflympics, will Ukrainians go back home?
Kasitskyi:
Well, tomorrow is the last day. Some athletes have already left after their competitions have concluded.
Frye:
Back to Ukraine?
Kasitskyi:
Yes, some of them went back to Ukraine. They fly to Poland, and then travel by rail or bus to go into Ukraine. The eastern part of Ukraine is where the conflict is. In the western part, there isn’t conflict, so some have returned to their homes. But for those who lived in the east, they are staying in Europe.
Frye:
I understand. Thank you!
(End interview)
Alex: Thank you Callie for interviewing Leonid. We hope the medals and Deaflympic success in Brazil brings some form of joy to Ukrainians during this time of war.
https://www.deaflympics2021.com/medals/
https://www.facebook.com/USADSF/photos/a.2806514202724907/5317359924973643/