Ukrainian Olympic team returns home
Oleksandr USYK: “Cossack oseledets haircut and hopak on the ring are not just a part of image”
They were met like real heroes, with bread and salt, orchestras, and presents. On August 14 the National Olympic Team of Ukraine returned home. In the hall for official delegations of the Boryspil Airport, where the meeting took place, neither the athletes, nor coaches were hiding emotions.
“In London we felt the support of every caring Ukrainian heart,” Olympic champion in weightlifting Oleksii Torokhtii said, “We all not just have performed well, but also evoked a part of actually Ukrainian thing in the souls of Ukrainians. We were very pleased to represent Ukraine. I am proud of being Ukrainian!”
“Twenty Olympic medals have glorified the whole country. In spite of certain problems in the sphere of sport, we know what needs to be done to increase the number of such medals,” head of NOC Serhii Bubka said as he was greeting the Olympic team in Kyiv.
In the hall for official delegations Ukrainian athletes were greeted by Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Serhii Tihipko and Minister of Education, Science, Youth and Sport Dmytro Tabachnyk. It is expected that President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and Prime Minister Mykola Azarov will meet with the Olympic champions in the near future.
Den/The Day has congratulated the Olympic champions, too. In particular, the editorial board presented the gold champions Oleksandr Usyk and Vasyl Lomachenko and silver champion Denys Berinchyk with photo albums Living Ukraine signed by the editor-in-chief, as an audience’s favorite prize, according to Den’s version. “It will be a pleasure for me to look at Ukraine,” Oleksandr Usyk said as he was leafing through the album, “You should know that Cossack oseledets haircut and hopak on the ring are not simply part of image for me, they are tribute to our history and culture.”
It will be recalled that Ukrainian National Olympic Team included 245 athletes: 123 men and 122 women in 28 kinds of sport. Ukrainians have won six gold, five silver, and nine bronze medals.
