The Ukrainian national boxing team scored a triumph at the world under-18
championship held in far-away Argentina. Our boys, having won 3 gold and
2 bronze medals, beat the renowned favorites, the Russian and Cuba teams.
The Day's correspondent interviewed Ihor Haidamaka, chairman of
the Ukrainian Amateur Sport Federation and vice-president of the European
Amateur Boxing Association.
"Mr. Haidamaka, after complete oblivion following the collapse of
the USSR, Ukraine seems to be recapturing its lost positions in the ring
not only in our continent but worldwide. Volodymyr Klychko's success at
the Atlanta Olympics, his brother Vitaly's conquest of the championship
belt in European professional boxing, success of the adult team at this
year's continental championship and, finally, the resounding victory in
Argentina speak volumes. Are you frightened at this speed?"
"No, we are gradually getting used to winning. All this is the result
of local coaches' efforts and the expanded geography of Ukrainian boxing.
Specialists are little by little returning to their jobs and forging contacts
with boys. I will first of all note Ivano-Frankivsk oblast and, as a result,
the gold and bronze medals in Argentina. These sport achievements should
be equally shared by the regional administration, the federation, and captains
of industry. Over there, boys are well-settled: they go to colleges, rent
apartments, or live in dormitories. I can say the same about the Crimea,
the southern bulwark of Ukraine's amateur boxing.
For instance, the Tavriya Sports Club looks up to our sport along with
soccer. This was demonstrated by the excellently-organized national championship.
Now I would like to thank Chairman of the Crimean State Sports Committee
Mykola Hostev as well as the city and district federations of Kerch, Sevastopol,
Yevpatoriya, Alushta, and Yalta."
"We are feeling kind of a shame for Kyiv and Lviv, once well-known
centers of national boxing."
"You are right, but there have been marked changes in these cities in
the past few years. The capital hosts a Veterans' Council which helps conduct
quite a few tournaments. We are already having positive results in the
trade union sport association and the martial-arts school at the Hart (tempering)
Central Sport Club headed by Oleksandr Prosovsky. One of his alumni, Serhiy
Kostenko, won the gold in Argentina. As to Lviv, there is no unity, unfortunately,
among its coaches, but I think Lviv will still be able to train candidates
for the national team for the 2000 Olympics."
"Do you mean you are optimistic about our boys' performance at the
Sydney games?"
"I am convinced history will repeat itself. Take 1994, for example,
when at the world championship in Germany the silver went to Volodymyr
Klychko and the bronze to Oleh Kiriukhin. Two years later, however, the
former beat everybody else, and the latter ranked third at the Atlanta
Olympics. So let's hope our winners at the Argentine world championship,
the pupils of Leonid Loyivsky, trainer of the Ukrainian under-18 national
team, - gold-winners Ivano-Frankivsk natives Servin Suleimanov and Yuri
Tomashov, Kyiv native Serhiy Kostenko, bronze winners Dmytro Svietlichny
from Donetsk, and Andriy Fedchuk from Ivano-Frankivsk - will be quite capable
of showing their mettle in the 2000 Olympic Games. And this is what feel
also our rivals from Germany, Sweden, Norway, Turkey, and other countries,
which invite our boys to come around for sparring-bouts, also feel the
same."
"Did the success in Argentina affect in any way the participation
of our delegation in the World Congress of the Amateur Boxing Federation
held in Turkey?"
"Surely, we have strengthened our positions in that organization's executive
committee."
"In what way, to be more exact?"
"Our representative was admitted to it and thus obtained one vote."
"Well, a good beginning makes for a good end."







