Why Ukraine needs to rebuild not only housing but also sports infrastructure now
And how businesses and communities can get involved
Eastern Ukraine was once a space of sporting ice. Historically, it was in this part of the country that large modern ice arenas were situated. That was the case before the war. But then everything changed. The first to suffer was the Druzhba Arena in Donetsk. In the spring of 2014, a fire broke out, and since then the building has stood looted and partially destroyed. During the full-scale invasion, the Mariupol Ice Centre was destroyed. This arena was built in 2020 and hosted 500 children, but shelling turned the modern arena into a 'ghost'. In Severodonetsk, the Ice Palace was also destroyed by the occupiers' artillery fire. The Altair ice arena in Druzhkivka was hit by a missile. All media outlets published its photo, and these images will become one of the pieces of evidence for the future trial in The Hague, as the facility operated as a humanitarian depot. The Lugansk arena was somewhat luckier: it's still intact for now, but there is information that the occupiers have repurposed it into a 600-bed hospital.
Kateryna Balinska, a medical psychologist and founder of the Bauer Figure Skating School NGO, has told Mind why all these events are a big blow to Ukraine's sports prospects and how businesses can get involved in rebuilding the ice infrastructure right now.
Why has the ice sports infrastructure ended up in critical condition?
It wasn't just Donetsk and Lugansk that suffered. The Kharkiv Ice Palace Saltivsky Lid was partially destroyed. The Kherson Favoryt-Arena fell victim to the hands of russian aggressors. The Ice Arena in Melitopol endured horrifying events – there is information that it was used as a morgue for russian military personnel. There is no need to search for a better illustration of how the 'russian world' transforms children's joy, hopes, dreams, and all that is brightest into death.
The shelling and missile strikes were just the beginning. Due to electricity shortages, ice rinks began to close in many shopping malls, even in areas relatively 'protected' from the war.
Add to this the fact that the same thing happened to ice rinks during the first wave of COVID-19. When shopping malls were closed due to quarantine, keeping empty ice rinks operational became too expensive – so they were repurposed into roller rinks. We cannot say that they have become popular, but there is no rush to bring back ice rinks during the war.
Why does this infrastructure require urgent restoration?
Currently, small figure skating schools are fighting for their survival tooth and nail. It is a simple arithmetic task. In Lviv, for instance, 6-7 small clubs and figure skating schools share a single ice rink. Each of them needs 2–3 hours for training. How much time is left for enthusiasts? For those who want to introduce their children to ice skating? And that is incredibly important.
The popularity of sports is one of the components of success in championships and Olympics. Where do talented athletes come from? They emerge from grassroots sports. When you have a choice from a thousand, you'll select the best. When you are choosing from five, you will pick the best out of five, not just the most gifted among all children.
In the million-strong Lviv, where a multitude of young athletes have relocated, there isn't a single ice arena. When our colleagues from abroad hear that we have nowhere to skate, they don't comprehend it. And they advise: "Why don't you approach your mayor?" They believe our club isn't popular enough: "If you have 20 children training with you, they'll build an ice rink for you." It is difficult to explain that we have over a hundred children, but…
Abroad, within 100 square kilometres, there are six or seven, or even more ice rinks. In our entire Western Ukraine region, we have two ice rinks operating during winter. It is challenging to become a professional when you don't have a place to train.
What can and should Ukraine do?
Lviv could become the capital of international sports competitions. It's evident that the city has a convenient location, its proximity to Europe saves athletes time on travel, which is advantageous. We have a wide selection of hotels, and a large number of tourists can fill the stands. And this is not just about figure skating competitions and shows.
An ice arena is also a venue for ice hockey and curling. The latter isn't highly developed in Ukraine, but our athletes are of a very high standard. They train for only two to three months a year, yet last year they won a silver at the European Championship.
Training facilities are also needed for our Paralympians, who are also achieving impressive results. This again emphasises the importance of mass participation, which will not only allow athletes but also coaches to develop.
Why is this necessary and why now?
Competing under international rules will provide an opportunity for our young figure skaters to participate in tournaments abroad. It is an opportunity to witness how other children compete and feel the competition when you are up against not just two or three skaters, but 20 to 30. You see how others skate, and you gauge your own level.
I observe the joy of children when they attend competitions with a small number of participants – a medal is almost guaranteed, and they can relax and simply skate. But the adrenaline of competition is lost. Young athletes say that it's much more exciting to be in the top ten on an international stage than to be first in a less competitive environment. They might be first, but significant victories can't happen without access to 'big ice' for training.
Those who train on small rinks are immediately noticeable in competitions: they skate in the centre. They need to modify their routines, which is not just physically demanding, it might cause them to run out of breath, but it's also psychologically challenging. A child might forget where to turn due to anxiety. And all of this because of what? Because of a lack of an ice arena, the construction of which isn't a fantastical notion in Ukraine. A modern ice arena has been built in Boguslav, a town with around 15,000 inhabitants. Isn't it possible to do the same for Lviv?
Indeed, many both here and abroad might argue that sports infrastructure isn't currently a priority. Yes, finding a single benefactor who would invest $1.5 to $2 million into such a project is challenging. However, there's no need to search for just one such businessman. This could be a 'community project', a contribution made by dozens or more entrepreneurs.
The world doesn't stand still, everything is moving forward, especially in the world of our children. Their perception, quick imagination, desire to reach goals, and expand horizons should inspire us. We can wait for the government to build sports facilities, or we can take action and unite those who are ready to change our cities not after the Victory but right now. We have already encountered people who see the value of an ice arena in Lviv and are willing to participate in its construction. However, for this idea to be viable, we need many more such individuals, multiplied by tens.
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