In the Village: Ukraine's Olympians crave borshch (08/04/96)

In the Village: Ukraine's Olympians crave borshch

by Roman Woronowycz

ATLANTA - Life in the Olympic Village should be good. The athletes are away from the crowds, the noise and the problems that have characterized these Olympics, rightly or wrongly.

The more than 10,000 Olympians from 197 countries have billiard tables and a bowling alley at their disposal. There is the video game room, probably the most sophisticated and high tech of its kind in the world. And it's all free of charge.

There is Coca Cola and Power Aide for the thirsty, a cafeteria for the hungry, and local telephone call service, at no cost to the athletes. Volunteers are on hand 24 hours a day to help solve whatever problem an athlete might have, be it a language problem, towels for the room or directions to a particular shop or restaurant.

There are 11 team volunteers helping Ukraine's athletes - including one envoy for the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, five associate envoys and five drivers.

Many countries even have a temporary consulate set up in the Olympic Village to take care of issues of a more complex nature.

But the human spirit, constantly striving for perfection, will always find something wrong. For some of the Ukrainian athletes housed in the Olympic Village one thing is desperately lacking: borshch and pampushky.

No kidding.

When asked outside their dormitory building in the Olympic Village about life there, Ukraine's two stars in archery, Lina Herasymenko and Olena Sadovnycha, just about screamed in unison, "There is no borshch or pampushky!"

Interesting. Maybe it was just two friends who shared a similar craving. However, in a dormitory apartment filled with wrestlers, among them bronze medalist Andriy Kalashnikov, it was confirmed that this was more than an anomaly.

The question about food in the Olympic Village brought a direct response from wrestler Rustam Adzhi: "The food is not so good, we would like to have soup, some borshch and pampushky." The four other wrestlers nodded in agreement.

A trivial matter, perhaps, but don't tell the Ukrainian athletes that. It is the little things that can break up an athlete's routine and hinder performance. Chinese officials have repeatedly complained that the lack of Chinese food for its athletes has caused problems in competition. The men's gymnastic coach told journalists last week that his team's sloppy performance on the first day of the team event was directly linked to the foreign diet forced upon them.

Another problem for the Ukrainians and for most of the other athletes is the cramped living conditions in the Village. Ivan Sayko, press officer for the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine and head coach for archery, said that eight athletes were staying in apartment units built to house four.

"We are sleeping two to a bedroom, in rooms meant for one bed. There are four bedrooms to an apartment, so you have eight athletes in one small space," said Mr. Sayko.

Taking cover under an awning of another building inside the Village as a Georgia thunderstorm passed overhead, boxing coach Ihor Gaydomak explained that the accommodations are nice, but tight. "You can't move around," he said, "especially when you have large athletes living together."

The living quarters are pleasant enough, although a bit spartan. They look like standard contemporary apartments with a large bathroom, a kitchenette, a refrigerator and a stove.

The stove, however, doesn't work, which was a source of irritation to the two Ukrainian archers, Harasymenko and Sadovnycha, who said they could cook their own borshch and make their own pampushky if the appliance worked.

The lack of a TV in the room also bothered Ms. Herasymenko. "We have a tough time getting information on the Olympics," she noted. The idea that she could always watch the tube in one of the television rooms in the Recreation Building did not go over well with her.

Mr. Sayko said transportation, or the lack of it, also is a mess, an issue that has been particularly irksome to journalists. "It's been rough. Getting there, the trams and buses leave promptly, but returning they are often late," he explained. "Opening ceremonies were nuts. And I know of at least one instance in which the bus driver got lost going to a venue."

Ultimately, the athletes said that, in general, life in the Village was pleasant and comfortable, although not quite like home.

Not all the athletes stay in the Olympic Village, however. About 50 or so Ukrainian Olympians are living in Carrollton, the pre-Olympic training site for the Ukrainian team for the last year, which is located about an hour's drive west of Atlanta.

The ones who stay in Carrollton do so for a variety of reasons. Some could not get Village accreditation because of the crowded conditions. Others would rather train in seclusion and not have to fight to get training time and space.

Most of the athletes have passed through Carrollton to use the Olympic-caliber facilities of West Georgia College, including an Olympic track that was built especially for the team.

There the athletes have gotten their borshch, although it isn't certain if there are pampushky. Last year, after pleading with their sponsors, the Carroll '96 Committee, it was agreed that the team would bring its own cook in 1996. They are now fed soup and other traditional Ukrainian fare on a daily basis.

Wrestling gold medalist Vyacheslav Oliynyk, sitting at a table before the NOC - Ukraine command center in the Olympic Village, said that indeed he remembers how good the borshch was in Carrollton. He said he would like some right now - with garlic and onions, and maybe a little salo, too.

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