Representatives of the Donetsk Regional State Administration attended a meeting of the "Side by Side" Organizing Committee: Preparations for the New School League Season
Deputy Heads of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, Ihor Boiko and Oleksandr Shevchenko, participated in a meeting of the Organizing Committee for the preparation and conduct of physical education and health-promoting events and competitions under the “Side by Side All-Ukrainian School Leagues” program among students of general secondary education institutions for the 2025–2026 academic year.
During the meeting, key organizational issues were discussed, including the conduct of the city-level stages of the competitions by local communities, as well as preparations for the regional stage of the “Side by Side All-Ukrainian School Leagues.”
Special attention was paid to the participation of registered teams and the situation regarding the refusal of certain communities to participate in the regional stage. The meeting was also attended by deputy heads of the military administrations of settlements in the Donetsk region who coordinate the sphere of physical culture and sports.
In his remarks, Ihor Boiko noted that the Donetsk region has been participating in the “Side by Side All-Ukrainian School Leagues” competition for the third consecutive year. Last season, 32 general secondary education institutions from 13 communities in the region were registered—that is, 65 teams across seven sports: basketball, volleyball, handball, orienteering, rugby-5, futsal, and cheerleading. In addition, track and field (16 teams) and chess (19 teams) competitions were held on a trial basis.
For the 2025–2026 season, the range of sports has been expanded: 3x3 basketball, biathlon, track and field, table tennis, and chess have been added to the existing lineup. In total, the competitions will take place in five stages between September 2025 and June 2026.
Oleksandr Shevchenko, Deputy Head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, emphasized that systematic efforts are aimed at ensuring that students in the Donetsk region have access to the competitions even under martial law and forced displacement.
According to him, significant preparatory work has been carried out—from team registration to supporting communities in organizing local stages and assisting with preparations for subsequent levels of the competition.