Olympic torch travels to Kyiv on the way to Athens Games (07/11/04)

Olympic torch travels to Kyiv on the way to Athens Games

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - Thousands of Ukrainians lined the streets of this city on July 5 to watch runners - including former Olympic champions, but average citizens as well - carry the Olympic flame through the streets as part of the build-up to what is undoubtedly the single largest sports event on the globe. Several days earlier, Ukraine announced the composition of its Olympic squad for the Athens Games set to begin next month.

The Olympic flame, which was lit in Athens in March and is circumventing the globe on its way back, is scheduled to arrive at Olympic Stadium in the Greek capital on August 13 in time for the opening ceremony of the XXVIII Olympic Games.

Since March 25, the torch has visited 34 cities and 27 countries. This is the first time it has traveled through the African and South American continents. For Kyiv, it was the second time the city had hosted the Olympic flame; the first time was in 1980, when the flame passed through Kyiv, then the capital of the Ukrainian SSR, on its way to the Moscow Olympics.

This time around, the citizens and athletes of independent Ukraine carried the flame atop a sleek, brushed silver torch, partially constructed of olive wood, representative of the wreath of olive branches that is the symbol of the Games.

A day prior to the event, Peter Mooney, representative of Coca-Cola, which along with Samsung Electronics, is the main sponsor of the International Olympic Torch Relay, told the runners that they should hold the torch high and carry it proudly, remembering that the Olympic emblem - a wreath of olive branches encircling the five Olympic rings - symbolizes peace, freedom and hope. He told them that in Kyiv they would be the ambassadors of those ideals.

"Carry it with a lot of pride - you will be representing a lot of people and the highest ideals," Mr. Mooney exhorted.

Viacheslav Oliinyk, who achieved the first gold medal ever won by an athlete representing independent Ukraine when he took first place in wrestling at the Atlanta Games in 1996, led a group of 120 runners given the honor. Each of them was allowed to carry the torch for 400 meters along the 40-kilometer winding route the Olympic flame took through the city on its four-hour journey here.

The other participants were Ukrainian citizens who won various competitions the Kyiv city administration and the two sponsors had held separately in the days leading to the event. They were interspersed with former Olympic champions and local media stars, among them heavyweight boxing contender Volodymyr Klitschko; legendary pole vaulter Serhii Bubka; former gymnast Lilia Podkopayeva, winner of five medals in Atlanta; Olympic gold medalist in rhythmic gymnastics in Atlanta Kateryna Serebrianska; former soccer great Oleh Blokhin; and entertainer Ani Lorak.

Mr. Bubka, who carried the flag for the Ukrainian Olympic teams during opening ceremonies in the last two Summer Olympics, received the honor of running the last leg of the event, which took the Olympic flame up the Khreschatyk, Kyiv's main thoroughfare, to Independence Square. There Mr. Bubka handed the torch to Kyiv Mayor Oleksander Omelchenko as Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, president of the National Olympic Committee, and Valerii Borzov, former Olympic great and Ukraine's representative to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), looked on.

President Leonid Kuchma, who had been scheduled to be present, sent greetings, which were read out to the crowd of some 100,000 that had filled the city's downtown area.

"I am sure that the ideals of the Olympic movement, the principles of humanism, peace and concord held by the people of the world will find further development on different continents," read the statement by Mr. Kuchma.

Ukraine's Olympians

More than 230 Ukrainians - representing all the country's oblasts except for Zhytomyr - are expected to participate in the Athens Olympic Games in 27 events beginning on August 13. With them will be 181 trainers and support personnel. Heading the group will be Oleksander Artemiev, Ukraine's chief of mission.

Mr. Borzov, Ukraine's representative to the IOC, who also heads the Track and Field Federation, told The Ukrainian Weekly that Ukraine's National Olympic Committee would like to see the 2004 squad equal the medal output of the Sydney Games, at a minimum. Ideally, however, he would like to see Ukraine approach the medal count it achieved in Atlanta in 1996.

"If we achieve the results of Atlanta we will consider our participation in these Games a success," explained Mr. Borzov.

In Sydney the Ukrainian squad combined for 23 medals, three of them gold, good for 21st place among all the participating countries, while in Atlanta it came away with 23 medals as well, but nine of them were gold, good enough for a ninth-place finish.

Mr. Borzov was reluctant to predict which of the Ukrainian athletes might shine at the Athens Games this year, noting that they had enough pressure to withstand without the added weight of predictions by team officials.

He was able to assert, however, that Ukraine would be competitive in 17 events. He admitted also that much hope rested on the broad shoulders of Yana Klochkova, the tall, muscular star of the Ukrainian swim team and holder of world championship medals in freestyle and medley. Yet, Mr. Borzov was quick to add that should she be injured or become ill expectations would change.

Mr. Artemiev, the chief of mission of the Ukrainian squad, was more forthcoming in naming the favorites on the Ukrainian squad. He agreed that Klochkova is at the top, but said that much hope also lies with synchronized divers Roman Volodkov and Anton Zakharov, who will compete in the high dive event.

"In general, many of our expectations [for gold] are in the water events," explained Mr. Artemiev.

He noted that Ukraine also placed much hope on Oleh Lysohor, current world champion and record-holder in the 100-meter breaststroke. The team also includes Denys Sylantiev, who has intermittently come up with surprising performances at world meets and has been a member of the last two Olympic teams.

In track and field, Mr. Artemiev pointed out that former world champion Zhanna Pintusevych Block should be competitive in the 100-meter sprint, although he noted she is not the youngest of the runners and may be past her prime. There is also hope that one of Ukraine's three world-class high jumpers, Inga Babakova, Iryna Melnychenko or Vita Palamar, might have a breakthrough moment and win a medal. Babakova was a bronze medalist in Atlanta.

Hammer throw is a strength of the Ukrainian squad in the field events. Athletes to watch include Oleksander Krykun, a bronze winner in Atlanta, along with newcomers Vladyslav Piskunov and Artem Rubanov.

Gymnastics has been a perennial strong suit for Ukraine and this year should be no different. Ukrainians who will be among the favorites to medal in individual competitions include Alina Kozych, 2003 overall champion in gymnastics in Europe and Oleksander Svitlychnyi.

Mr. Artemiev noted that the men's team experienced a terrible loss when their most talented gymnast, Oleksander Beresh, died after being hit by a car outside the Olympic gymnasts' training center in Koncha Zaspa in the spring. However, he said he believes the squad still is capable of winning medals in individual competitions.

In rhythmic gymnastics, an event in which Ukraine is considered the world leader, much hope has been placed on Anna Bezsonova for a gold medal. Another rhythmic gymnast, Tamara Yerofeeva, is also considered a medal hopeful.

Ukraine is also extremely strong in weightlifting and should come away with a couple of medals here. Among those to watch for: Denys Gotfrid, current world champion at 105 kg and Ihor Razorionov, who preceded Gotfrid as world champion. In the women's category, watch for Natalia Skakun, current world champion in the 63 kg category.

Other sports in which Ukraine has high hopes include women's freestyle wrestling, where world champion Iryna Melnyk-Merleni should come out at or near the top and judo, where Ukrainian Valentyn Hrekov, the current European champion, will compete.

Finally, keep your eye on the cycle track and on the sailing events, as Ukrainians should be competitive in these events as well.

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