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Ihor Cherniavskyi scored for Ukraine in the 18th minute, but Dyego’s two goals and an own-goal by Rostyslav Semenchenko allowed Brazil to come from behind and defeat Ukraine 3-2 in a FIFA Futsal World Cup semi-final match on October 2. Brazil came close to scoring three other times early on, and it had a goal disallowed. Ihor Korsun scored in 29th minute to level the match, but Dyego finished off a set piece after Felipe Valerio was fouled and the Brazilian side never let go of their lead.
Team Ukraine then rebounded nicely from their semifinal setback by trouncing France 7-1 in the match for third place, earning the Ukrainian team a bronze medal. Danyil Abakshyn’s late hat-trick clinched Ukraine’s triumphant outcome and the country’s best-ever finish at a FIFA Futsal World Cup. Their previous best was a fourth-place finish at Hong Kong in 1992.
Cherniavskyi (11th minute) and Mykhailo Zvarych (22nd) gave Ukraine a 2-0 lead that the team built on with Abakshyn’s tally coming late once France pulled their goalkeeper after falling behind 4-1.
Starodubtseva cracks WTA’s top 100
Yuliia Starodubtseva enjoyed a breakthrough run at the 2024 China Open in Beijing, where she reached her first-ever Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 1,000 quarterfinal. Her run included a 7-5, 6-0 victory over No. 14 ranked and 10th-seeded Anna Kalinskaya, her first top 20 win. Starodubtseva became only the seventh player since 2009 to make the final eight in her first WTA 1,000 main draw, joining a list that includes major champions Jelena Ostapenko and Elena Rybakina.
The win also guaranteed Starodubtseva (ranked No. 113 at the China Open) a top 100 debut heading into the first full week of October, only 16 months after entering the WTA rankings for the first time.
After the U.S. Open, Starodubtseva won 13 Grand Slam matches in 2024 and only 16 combined matches during all of her other tournaments. Her coach joked that she only plays her best tennis when “big money” is on the line.
This all changed at the Jasmin Open Tunisia in September when Starodubtseva battled through suspenseful moments to reach her first WTA quarterfinal. She said it sharpened her mentally and contributed to her surge in Beijing. She now feels mentally tougher, more positive and more relaxed.
Starodubtseva explained that she needed to spend time with herself and answer her own questions instead of looking for answers from others. She realized that she was putting too much pressure on herself after a reasonably successful first year on the tour. This year, playing against better opponents, she was not getting enough positive results and had to reconsider her approach to the sport. Now, she tries to just play and enjoy her time on the court.
The Ukrainian tennis player has also been strengthened mentally by lots of support she received from other Ukrainian women on the WTA Tour, especially veteran Lesia Tsurenko who has gone out of her way to spend time with Starodubtseva, sharing encouraging thoughts and trials and tribulations of professional tennis life.
Her quarterfinal match in Beijing was against No. 4 seed Coco Gauff, arguably the biggest match of her young career. She went into it trying to block out her opponent’s name and the momentous occasion. Starodubtseva tried not to give too much respect to her opponent, which she has done previously as a new player on the tour. Thinking of Gauff as a regular opponent worked for a while when she won the first set 6-2. Unfortunately, her China Open run came to an end when Gauff rebounded to win the final two sets, 6-2, 6-2.
Dynamo Kyiv loses 0-2 in Europa League
In their second UEFA Europa League group match, TSG Hoffenheim blanked Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 on October 3 at Rhein-Neckar Arena in Sinsheim, Germany. Czech forward Adam Hlozek scored both goals for the home side. The 22-year-old from Bayer Leverkusen netted goals in the 22nd and 59th minutes.
Hoffenheim put pressure on the visiting Ukrainians from the outset, generating promising offensive thrusts early on. Dynamo’s Volodymyr Brazhko tested Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann from distance only to have Baumann deflect his effort over the bar in the 11th minute. Dynamo’s defense appeared to be a bit disorganized and Andrej Kramaric’s attempt almost made it 2-0 after Hlozek’s first goal if not for a solid save by Dynamo goalie Heorhiy Bushchan.
Hlozek tallied his second 14 minutes into the second half and nearly added a third only to have his shot blocked. Dynamo was outshot 19-8 in the match. The Ukrainian team has not scored in its first two matches of Europa League play.
Dynamo’s next match is against Roma on October 24 at Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
NBU issues Usyk commemorative coin
On October 1, the National Bank of Ukraine issued a commemorative coin that it called “Absolute” dedicated to Oleksandr Usyk’s victory over Tyson Fury, which made the Ukrainian the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world.
One side of the coin features a traditional Crimean Tatar ornament on a mirror background. The symbol was placed on the coin to honor Usyk’s Crimean roots and the inseparable connection between Crimea and Ukraine. The other side of the coin shows a stylized image of a champion athlete against the background of the Motherland Monument in Kyiv, which is now a symbol of the indestructibility and strength of the Ukrainian people. Below, to the left and right of the champion’s silhouette are the following inscriptions: “18.05.2024” (the date of the championship unification fight), “ABSOLUTE” and “UNDISPUTED.”
The coin was placed into circulation on October 1 and has a value of 5 hryvnia. It is made of nickel silver and has a mintage of 50,000 pieces. The coin is available for purchase at the NBU’s online numismatic shop and at distributor banks.
It was designed by Oleksandra Kuchynska and sculpted by Volodymyr Atamanchuk and Volodymyr Demianenko.
In a speech during the presentation of the coin, Usyk emphasized that it “symbolizes all the athletes who are fighting for medals” for Ukraine and those who are defending the country. He added that victories by Ukrainian athletes are “a reminder to the world that Ukrainians are fighting for their lives, for their families.”
Ukraine outraged by Samaranch’s statement
The Ukrainian sports community, led by Sports Minister Matviy Bidnyi, expressed outrage with the statement made by International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice President Juan Antonio Samaranch, Jr., that Russia could be readmitted to international competitions if the country starts following the rules of the Olympic Charter. Speaking publicly during the last week of September, Samaranch reaffirmed that Russia was in a “clear and flagrant breach of the Olympic Charter,” but added: “The minute the reasons for suspension and non-recognition disappear, we have the obligation to start working very hard to bring them back.”
Expressing his disbelief at hearing the statement, Bidnyi reacted with surprise and indignation, inviting Samaranch to Ukraine to “see the destroyed sports facilities” and talk to “athletes whose parents and relatives were killed as a result of Russian armed aggression.”
Bidnyi released a joint statement with Foreign Affairs Minister Andriy Sybiha saying that taking such a position was “incompatible with aspiring to lead the IOC.”
Samaranch’s father was IOC president from 1980-2001 and he is one of seven candidates vying to succeed current IOC head Thomas Bach.
Bidnyi and Sybiha added that suggestions of a potential return of Russian athletes to international sports are unacceptable and outrageous.
Samaranch explained that Russia breached the Olympic Charter “by taking over responsibilities of a fellow national Olympic committee in certain territories” – referring to Russia occupying and claiming to have annexed parts of eastern and southern Ukraine. The IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee after it placed several sports organizations from occupied Ukrainian regions under its authority.
Bidnyi suggested that the head of the IOC should follow the principles of justice, peace and international law and noted that Russia uses sports as a tool of propaganda and to promote its interests.
Ukraine wants Russian sports federations suspended
On October 2, Ukraine’s Ministry of Youth and Sports called on international sports organizations to suspend the memberships of Russian sports federations. In its official statement, Ukraine’s Ministry of Youth and Sport noted the need “to extend sanctions against Russia, including the suspension of membership in international sports federations.”
Ukrainian sports federations have appealed to volleyball, table tennis, equestrian sports, taekwondo, judo, figure skating and cycling international federations and asked them to suspend Russia from international organizations.
Ukrainian sports officials emphasized that Russian federations have deployed their representative offices in temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine, which they deemed a major violation of the country’s territorial integrity.
Additionally, the Cycling Federation of Ukraine filed a complaint against the Russian Cycling Federation for holding competitions in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.
The Ukrainian sports community reiterated that the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee’s (ROC) membership because the ROC created representative offices in the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories of Zaporizhia, Kherson, Luhansk and Donetsk, which are under the jurisdiction of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.
Ukrainian wrestlers excel at Valamar Cup
The Valamar Cup international wrestling tournament, featuring competitions in Greco-Roman and women’s wrestling events, was held in Porec, Croatia, on September 28 with 19 national teams participating. Ukraine sent a total of 33 wrestlers, including 18 men and 15 women.
The Ukrainian women finished first out of 11 teams with a total of 210 points. The team’s seven gold medals were won by Natalia Klevchutska (53 kilograms), Oleksandra Khomenets (55 kilograms), Alina Filipovych (57 kilograms), Solomiya Vynnyk (59 kilograms), Iryna Bondar (62 kilograms), Sofia Kushnir (65 kilograms) and Anastasia Alpeeva (72 kilograms). Ukrainian women also won three silver and three bronze medals.
Ukraine’s Greco-Roman wrestlers finished second out of 14 nations with 147 points, only four points behind first-place Georgia, which won three gold medals. Gold medalists were Koryun Sagradyan (55 kilograms), Vladlen Kozliuk (97 kilograms) and Vladyslav Kovalenko (130 kilograms). The men also captured one silver and four bronze medals.
Atalanta defeats Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0
Atalanta secured a masterful performance in a UEFA Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk on October 2 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. The Italian club showcased their offensive attack and could have easily won by a wider margin.
Atalanta dominated the match from start to finish. Both clubs entered the game following goalless draws in their opening fixtures. Berat Djimsiti converted from close range and Ademola Lookman added a well-placed finish just before halftime. Atalanta barely missed tallying three more times in the first half.
Raoul Bellanova scored the third goal soon after the restart when he connected on a cross from Davide Zappacosta to seal the victory.
Shakhtar came close on Yukhym Konoplia’s attempt, but the team was unable to burst through Atalanta’s defense.
Shakhtar next plays Arsenal in an away match on October 22. Shakhtar is 0-2 and has not yet scored a goal in Champions League play.
Pinzgauer ambulance delivered to Ukraine
A press report on September 30 noted that the Pinzgauer armored ambulance funded by the Motorsport U.K. community was delivered to Ukraine after a successful fundraising campaign. The fundraising started in 2022 in partnership with the Federation Automobile d’Ukraine (FAU), which sought to raise $80,235 to purchase the ambulance and needed supplies.
The Northern Ireland motorsport community and British Motorsport Trust provided donations and support, joining donors such as BIRDA Rally Series, the Association of Motorsport Recovery Operators and others.
Most of the donations came through a GoFundMe campaign. Motorsport U.K. community members also provided contributions to ensure the goal was met. Among the donors was license holder and Hillclimb competitor Christopher Wigdor.
License holder and Rallycross competitor Fynn Watt, a supporter of initiatives to get vehicles and medical supplies to Ukraine, directed his passion for motorsports into a life-saving mission. In 2022, he founded “Driving Ukraine,” an enterprise that delivers vehicles and essential supplies to Ukrainian frontline medical teams. In 2024, the charity transported 50 vehicles and organized 15 convoys to the war-torn country.
Watt engaged and committed himself to the cause only two weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, when he drove the first of many vans of supplies to the country.
What began as a single mission has blossomed into the delivery of some 132 casualty-evacuation vehicles and over $1,070,420 in assistance. Watt said his group sends five to six vehicles to Ukraine every month, along with generators, solar chargers and trauma medical aid kits. He credits Motorsport U.K. and the British motorsport community for helping turn his initiative into a vital lifeline for Ukraine.
(Based on reporting by UEFA, WTA.Tour, Footboom, UNN, Firstpost, Interfax Ukraine, Foot Italia and Motorsport U.K.)
Ihor Stelmach may be reached at [email protected].
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The Ukrainian Weekly was founded in 1933 to serve the Ukrainian American community and to function as a vehicle for communication of that community’s concerns to the general public in the United States. It is the official English-language publication of the Ukrainian National Association.
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