Turning the pages back... June 9, 1996 (06/04/00)

Turning the pages back...

June 9, 1996

Four years ago, The Ukrainian Weekly reported that Ukraine's budget crisis had affected its preparations for the Olympic Games - an issue that also affects Ukraine's participation in this year's summer Olympics in Sydney (as reported last week).

Roman Woronowycz of The Ukrainian Weekly's editorial staff filed a story in 1996 relating that Ukraine's Minister of Sports Valeriy Borzov expressed concern that because of underfunding the Ukrainian Olympic team would not adequately be prepared for the Centennial Olympic Games scheduled to begin in Atlanta on July 19.

The financial crisis came to a head the week of May 12, 1996, with a presidential decree greatly restricting government expenditures in an effort to clear a $1 billion backlog of wage payments.

"The absence of stable financing threatens our athletes' preparations for the Games," Minister Borzov told Reuters. "They are supposed to be competing in tournaments and maintaining their condition, but we cannot afford to take part." He said the proposed squad of 239 was encountering problems with training, equipment and logistics.

Volodymyr Lytvyn, assistant chief of staff in the president's administration, explained that currently only 20 percent of the Olympic budget was available. He announced also that the scheduled trip by Ukraine's President Leonid Kuchma to Atlanta had been canceled due to the budget crunch. President Kuchma was to have visited the athletes and taken part in official ceremonies. Mr. Lytvyn said efforts were being made to reduce the number of officials attending the Olympics to ensure that coaches are able to accompany their athletes.

Ukraine had several hopes for the gold medal among its more than 200 Olympians, including world pole vault champion Sergey Bubka, women's world record holder in the long jump Inessa Kravets, world gymnastics champion Lilia Pidkopayeva, weightlifter Timur Taimazov and world champion rhythmic gymnast Kateryna Serebrianska. Of the foursome, only Bubka failed to win a medal, having withdrawn due to an injury. But other heroes emerged as well: among them wrestler Viacheslav Oliinyk, boxer Volodymyr Klichko and gymnast Rustam Sharipov.

Once the Games were over, Ukraine had earned 23 medals, nine of them gold, taking 10th place in medal totals to finish ahead of countries such as Britain, Canada, Brazil and Poland.

Source: "Budget crisis affects Ukraine's Olympic effort" by Roman Woronowycz, The Ukrainian Weekly, June 9, 1996, Vol. LXIV, No. 23; and "Summer Olympics: Ukraine debuts" in "1996: The Year in Review," The Ukrainian Weekly, December 29, 1996, Vol. LXIV, No. 52.

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