Paris, Jul 25 (PTI) The fear of death has been a constant in an average Ukrainian’s life ever since the war with Russia broke out in 2022 and that includes the majority of the country’s 143-strong athlete contingent here for the Olympics beginning on Friday.

Even in normal circumstances, the pressure to perform on the biggest sporting stage can take a toll on the best in the business.

In the case of Ukrainian athletes, it’s hard to imagine how they were able to train for the mega-event with missile attacks and air sirens becoming a part of their lives for the past 29 months.

Electricity almost became non-existent with power grids destroyed by the conflict.

In the eyes of Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the athletes who are in Paris are already “heroes” and that is what he told them in a virtual address on Wednesday.

Teenaged diving sensation Oleksiy Sereda and slalom canoeist Viktoriia Us were part of the call with president Zelenskyy.

Speaking to

Source: PTI News