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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
A public inclusive IRON WARRIORS PETANQUE ARENA for veterans will be created at VDNH, and Vadym Svyrydenko’s team has already received a special vehicle for joint trips to trainings and competitions. Rinat Akhmetov decided to support Vadym Svyrydenko’s initiative and allocate 8,6 million UAH for the project under the Wonders program.
On 23 September, Vadym Svyrydenko — a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Presidential Commissioner of Ukraine for the Rehabilitation of Combatants, and the project initiator — together with his team gathered at the site of the future IRON WARRIORS PETANQUE ARENA at VDNH. Veterans played petanque; during the event the future space’s project was also presented and the team received a vehicle from the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation.
Vadym Svyrydenko took up arms to defend Ukraine in 2014. After a very severe injury he lost four limbs and went through a long recovery. Sport became an important part of his return to active life. Later Vadym began developing veterans’ petanque and gathered a team around it.
According to his concept, the IRON WARRIORS PETANQUE ARENA is to become a large-scale, inclusive, and accessible space for veterans, where they can regularly train, gather, and take part in competitions. The arena project envisions compliance with international standards, which could eventually allow international-level competitions to be held there.
"Our idea is to create a center for the development of veterans’ petanque on the basis of this arena. It’s an accessible sport that veterans with various injuries and physical abilities can take part in. We want the venue to be an example of an inclusive sports space where veterans can regularly train, compete, and develop this direction in Ukraine," said Nataliya Yemchenko, Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation.
"For us this arena will become a place where veterans can gather together, communicate, train, and compete. Petanque helps to unload psychologically, to take one’s mind off injuries, and to feel the support of comrades. I thank Rinat Leonidovych Akhmetov and the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation for supporting our initiative, for not forgetting veterans, and for creating opportunities for our recovery and active life," said Vadym Svyrydenko.
The Rinat Akhmetov Foundation is coordinating the project’s implementation and work with partners. Its task is to provide the necessary resources so that Vadym Svyrydenko’s idea becomes a real opportunity for other veterans to engage in sport, recover from injuries, and return to active life. The arena’s design also incorporates the experience of the veterans who will train there.
"When Vadym Svyrydenko approached us, Rinat Akhmetov personally decided to support his initiative. After all, this is about giving veterans the opportunity to recover through sport, to meet, unite, and build communities. The vehicle will help the team get to trainings and competitions together, and the inclusive arena will become a permanent space for veterans from different Ukrainian cities to train," said Kseniia Sukhova, CEO of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation.
Petanque is a sport that combines tactics, precision, and teamwork. It is accessible to people of different ages and fitness levels, which allows injured veterans, in particular, to be involved in the game.
The project’s partner is VDNH, which provided the land for the future IRON WARRIORS PETANQUE ARENA. The arena will be an extension of the Urban Park’s sports infrastructure and is scheduled to open this year.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Рінат Ахметов підтримав інклюзивний проєкт Вадима Свириденка: 8,6 млн грн спрямують на ветеранську петанк-арену та спеціальний автомобіль". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: UNIAN.
