Young Ukrainian Paralympic swimming team help!!!

My nephew Nikita (15) and his teammates with 3 coaches left Ukraine on 17the February for Turkey to take part in a local competition which included Olympic training. On 24th they learnt that Russia had invaded Ukraine.

Nikita, 15 years old, is on the Ukrainian Paralympic training team and is training to take part in the next Paralympic Games in August 2024 in Paris.

This team of young teenagers and their coaches are in shock and asking for help. 5 boys and 2 girls with disabilities are being offered support to stay in safety in Turkey and continue their training. Their spirits are not broken and they want to continue training for their mental health and their dreams. They are far away from their families, friends, and their own country and no one knows when they meet again. Among them is Kyrill Garashchenko a Paralympic champion, took silver and bronze medals during last Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2021, and many more including 1 gold ,2 silver and 2 bronze in London 2019 World Para Swimming Allianz Championships.

Their Turkish colleagues and the Mayor of Istanbul are supporting them in so many ways and managed to find them free accommodation and transport to swimming pool and back.

Now they urgently need help to buy food and basic necessities and this is why I am asking for your help. They have run out of money!

Thank you !

Yana and Valeriy Protsenko

Petro Rybalko 9 y.o.

Vitaliy Yurchenko 13 y.o.

Ilya Sharkov 15y.o.

Nikita Dudchenko 15 y.o.

Kamila Hrechka 16 y.o.

Viktoria Kharchenko 17 y.o.

Kyril Garashchenko 24 y.o.

Illia Kalashnik ( coach)

Irina Pavelyeva (coach)

Natalia Samorodina (coach)

My family history :

When my nephew Nikita was born prematurely on a beautiful day in March we all were told that his chances of survival were slim. But Nikita survived against all odds, he is a fighter and now he is far from his family in Turkey with his Paralympic team and fighting again.

Nikita started swimming lessons when he was 5 to help strengthen his body and gain greater level of independence and mobility to live with Cerebral Palsy. Soon enough we saw that he was a talented sportsman and his fighting spirit could bring him Olympic medal for Ukraine one day.

Please help these strong kids to win !