UNREAKABLE ONES: GAMES OF HEROES - THE SPREADING UKRAINIAN SPIRIT AMONGST EUROPEAN FRIENDS
In a celebration of resilience, determination, and international cooperation, the "Games of Heroes" was a center stage in Brussels from November 6th to 9th in 2023. This exceptional event, supported by the Public Diplomacy Department of NATO Headquarters. A team of 11 adaptive athletes show their extraordinary abilities and foster a spirit of camaraderie among veterans and active military personnel from various NATO countries.
It was the very first "Games of heroes" event in Brussels at the invitation of the Public Diplomacy Department of NATO Headquarters.This competition brought together ukrainian veterans, military personnel with amputations or other injuries during the war and a team of NATO representatives in one place. This project took nine years of ‘Promote Ukraine‘ organization time, to become an international event in Europe.
‘‘This is a very important event, because it gives us an opportunity to show the Ukrainian spirit at work, because some of them are actual servicemen, and some of them don’t have limbs, without mentioning this,‘‘ emphasized Vasyl Kushmuns, Vice President of ‘Promote Ukraine’. Vasyl Kushmuns mentioned that the event could become an annual tradition to attract more audiences from European countries, showing how indomitable Ukrainian soldiers are.
Participants had to compete in pull-ups, rowing, throwing a ball, jumps, push-ups traditionally called cross fit exercises. Taking into account the injuries, abilities and physical capabilities, athletes compete in certain categories.
However, despite the competition, the general Ukrainian spirit was felt in the atmosphere of the building. During the event, the participants communicated respectfully with each other, shared their experiences, stories with others and interacted with the supporting audience or media.
Reborned After The War
‘‘For me, this is not so much a competition, but setting an example for other comrades who may have had the same trauma. We want to inspire them, so they can also start doing sports,‘‘ said one of the participants – Igor, ‘‘I’m in the army again, but I want to go back to the brigade. Meanwhile, in our forces, we say: only us. No one else but us. Only us. If you don’t surrender, you don’t lose’’. These games are like motivation both for the participants themselves and as an example for other injured veterans to move forward to reach your goals.
The signalman Yurii Kozlovsky said it is important to understand that firstly you are competing against yourself and a better version of yourself, which also inspires other injured after war. Yurii assured that even injured military men can be useful for the military to train recruits in the use of military equipment, working in planning and information headquarters, doing medical services or contributing to technology management.
Best ‘Fan’ Base
Guests from other countries, representatives of organizations, and high-ranking officers could be seen at the event. The participants received the greatest support in the stands from their family members, friends, fans or other compatriots watching the competition.
During the event, it was impossible not to notice waving Ukrainian flags in the building. The spectators of the event from time to time initiated the singing of Ukrainian national songs, which almost all Ukrainians joined. Realizing the current reality of the war in Ukraine it was also possible to see tears in people's eyes while the anthem was performing. However, even in this situation, the guests of the event seemed to be in a positive mood, you could see smiles and most importantly - unceasing hope on their faces.
9 November 2023, Brussels, Belgium | Photo by: Vincet Torre | Credit: Participants of “Games of Heroes”
