ZAGREB, 27 April 2022 - Sixteen members of the Ukrainian women's national volleyball team and six members of their coaching staff arrived in Zagreb on Tuesday at the invitation of the Croatian Volleyball Federation to practise in the northern town of Nedelišće.
The Ukrainians were welcomed at Zagreb airport by the Director of the Croatian Volleyball Federation, Valentina Bifflin, the Secretary of the Croatian Volleyball Federation, Frane Žanić, and the Secretary General of the Croatian Olympic Committee, Siniša Krajač,
Acting at the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee, the Croatian Olympic Committee and the Croatian Volleyball Federation are helping top Ukrainian athletes to continue their competitions, for which they need preparations, said Siniša Krajač, Secretary General of the Croatian Olympic Committee.
"This is one way of helping them to continue their normal sporting activities. We will lend them a helping hand, not just just to them, but to others as well. Several (Ukrainian) teams are already in Croatia, several hundred athletes, and we are trying to help them continue competing in international arenas," he added.
The war in Ukraine is making it difficult for the country's athletes to pursue their careers.
"I come from Luhansk. The situation is difficult because the war has been going on there for eight years. The situation is bad throughout Ukraine. I know nothing about Croatia. I only know about its women's national team. We're in a difficult situation. It's hard to concentrate on the game, but this is just another experience that we'll have. We don't know what will happen in a month's time, maybe the situation gets better and the war is over. We don't know what will happen tomorrow and whether we will go home or not," said Oleksandra Bytsenko, the captain of the Ukrainian national women's volleyball team.
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