Sport in Ukraine
[7] Ukraine sports or athletic movements were influenced greatly by the Sokol gymnast organization that was popular in the Central Europe since the second half of the 19th century.
Andriy Shevchenko is the most recognizable among Ukrainian footballers, who is considered a national hero in Ukraine.
Some former Crimean clubs that competed in the Ukrainian competitions relocated to the continental Ukraine where they were reorganized anew.
The Ukraine national basketball team slowly but surely has made a name among elite competition in Europe.
When in 2012, the country gained official confirmation to host the 2015 European Championship, basketball received major public boost in Ukraine.
Host cities were to be Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa and Kharkiv.
As Oleksandr Volkov, president of the Ukrainian Basketball Federation pointed out that the country's experience in hosting an event of such magnitude came through the mentioned football championships.
On 9 February 2012 the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych issued a decree that instructed the government to create a "Organizing Committee on preparation and holding in Ukraine Euro 2015 basketball Championship" (committee is headed by Prime Minister Mykola Azarov).
have been built in preparation for the European Football Championship in 2012, which significantly reduced the expected cost of the basketball event.
Unfortunately, due to the Ukrainian Revolution of 2013-2014, the FIBA Eurobasket event would end up being cancelled for Ukraine and instead would involve four different countries taking part for the first time ever.
Ukraine's All Ukrainian Bowling Federation includes 99 registered bowlers playing in 19 centers.
[11] Ukraine is noted for producing some of the most skilled boxers in recent times,[12] including brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitchsko, who, now retired, won multiple world titles throughout their career.
The brothers dominated the heavyweight division in a period now affectionately referred to as the "Klitschko Era".
[13][14][15] Also hailing from Ukraine, Vasyl Lomachenko, the 2008 and 2012 Olympic gold medalist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest amateur boxers of all time after compiling a record of 396–1.
Himself a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, he became the first boxer in history to hold all four of the major world titles in the cruiserweight division—WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and WBO—simultaneously.
[20] On the 25th of September 2021, he beat Anthony Joshua by unanimous decision to win the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles.
In May 2024, Oleksandr Usyk then defeated Tyson Fury to become the Undisputed World Heavyweight Boxing champion.
Ukraine has had several successful female gymnasts, including but not limited to: Lilia Podkopayeva, Tatyana Gutsu, Larisa Latynina, Viktoria Karpenko, and more recently Anastasia Koval, Alina Kozich, and Iryna Krasnianska.
Anastasia Koval and Dariya Zgoba both qualified for the uneven bars final, placing 5th and 8th, respectively.
[21] Notable accomplishments at the European Championships: Oleksandr Vorobiov enjoyed success at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, becoming the bronze medalist on the still rings.
Many Ukrainian rhythmic gymnasts such as Ludmila Savinkova, Liubov Sereda, Alina Maksymenko, Anna Bessonova, Tamara Yerofeeva, Irina Deriugina, Eleonora Romanova, Oxana Skaldina, Natalia Godunko, Olena Vitrychenko, Ekaterina Serebrianskaya and Olexandra Tymoshenko are among the top rhythmic gymnasts in the world.
The only individual gold medal in winter sports is held by a figure skater Oksana Baiul.
