On October 16-18, the XIV Open Para Swimming Tournament among children with disabilities was held in the village of Chornobay, Cherkasy Oblast, under the Donetsk Oblast Spartakiad program "Believe in Yourself" for the prizes of Viktor Smirnov, Hero of Ukraine, Honored Master of Sports of Ukraine.
The competitions are traditionally supported by Donetsk Regional State Administration, the Regional State Administration's Department of Physical Culture and Sports, Donetsk Regional Center "Invasport" and Donetsk Regional Children and Youth Sports School for People with Disabilities.
The fourteenth Victor Smirnov Tournament brought together 60 athletes from 9 regions of Ukraine - Donetsk, Zakarpattia, Kirovohrad, Lviv, Rivne, Sumy, Kharkiv, Cherkasy and Kyiv. This event was launched in 2006 in Khartsyzsk, then traditionally hosted by Donetsk (the last tournament was held in February 2014), then in 2018-2020 it was held in Sloviansk, and in 2024-2025 Cherkasy region became the venue.
A special feature of this year's competition was the participation of war veterans - combatants. Among them were representatives of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Cherkasy Oblast, the Eighth State Fire and Rescue Unit of the Second State Fire and Rescue Detachment of the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Cherkasy Oblast, the Main Training Center of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine named after Major General Igor Momot, military unit 3061 of the National Guard of Ukraine, the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Poltava Oblast, and the Main Directorate of the National Police in Poltava Oblast.
At the opening of the competition, the head of the Donetsk Regional Center for Physical Culture and Sports for Persons with Disabilities "Invasport" Konstantin Shevchenko conveyed the sincere gratitude of the Donetsk region's leadership, athletes and coaches to Cherkasy region for the hospitable conditions provided for the traditional tournament. The Cherkasy Regional State Administration, the Department of Family, Youth and Sports of the Cherkasy Regional State Administration, the Cherkasy Regional Center "Invasport", the Cherkasy Regional Sports School for Children and Youth with Disabilities, and numerous partners and sponsors provided assistance in holding the competition.
The initiator of the competition, Viktor Smirnov, Hero of Ukraine, Honored Master of Sports of Ukraine, who won 6 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze medals at the Paralympic Games, as well as a number of awards at the World and European Championships, presented valuable gifts to the best participants.
They were awarded Viktor Smirnov Cups and tablets:
- among swimmers with musculoskeletal disorders: in the senior age group - Victoria Leontieva (Kyiv) and Volodymyr Gapienko (Donetsk region); in the junior group - Ksenia Karimova (Sumy region) and Danylo Sukhonos (Kharkiv region);
- among athletes with visual impairments: in the senior group - Timur Chevplyansky (Sumy region), in the junior group - Yaryna Popova (Donetsk region) and Vadym Strilko (Lviv region).
Another 9 participants received watches, headphones, and power banks for their high achievements.
The competitions once again confirmed the resilience of Donetsk region's sporting traditions and also testified to the strengthening of the partnership between Donetsk and Cherkasy regions in developing para-swimming and creating conditions for barrier-free sports.