Participants of the Olympic Dreams project, Anastasia Chizhevska and Inna Shinkarenko, won gold at the European Judo Cup

Participants of the Olympic Dreams project Anastasia Chizhevska and Inna Shinkarenko won gold at the European Judo Cup. Anastasia – at the Tallinn European Open tournament, which just ended in the capital of Estonia, Inna – in the Hungarian Paks city, where the European Judo Cup among juniors has been held simultaneously. Both athletes – students of Karen Balayan and Oleksandra Starkova coaches – became champions in the category up to 57 kg. To climb to the podium's top step, Anastasia won early victories over opponents from the Netherlands, Estonia and Finland. On the way to her first gold, Inna defeated a representative from Hungary, won in a fundamental battle with the champion of Ukraine, passed a representative of France, and in the final, won against another representative of Hungary. A pleasant bonus was that Inna overcame all fights early with clean victories.

"Congratulations to our students Anastasia Chyzhevska and Inna Shynkarenko on the gold of the European Judo Cup! This is the best gift for coaches, – said Oleksandra Starkova, coach of the champions. – Thanks, Olympic Dreams and everyone who cares for supporting! Glory to Ukraine! Thank you, ZSU* (The Armed Forces of Ukraine)!"

During 2022-2023, Anastasia Chyzhevska and Inna Shynkarenko participated in the international sports camps Olympic Dreams project of "The Future for Children" Charitable Foundation, where they trained for competitions.

"Thanks to the Olympic Dreams project, our wards receive not only daily comprehensive training according to an approved program but also psychological support. That is why during this time, Nastya fulfilled the standards of a master of sports of the international class in judo, became a silver medalist of the European Games among students, won bronze at the European Championship, and now became the champion of the European Cup! And for Inna, this is the first continental award, and at once – of the highest quality! We are proud of you all! Let's move on!" emphasised the athlete's coach Karen Balayan, a participant in the 1996 Olympic Games.

"The result demonstrated today by Anastasia Chizhevska, Inna Shynkarenko, and their team colleagues confirms that the Olympic Dreams project fulfils its role, is timely and necessary. We will continue to direct our efforts to ensure that young Ukrainian athletes, even despite the war, can continue their training and gain the necessary experience to represent Ukraine in the world. So that the Ukrainian national anthem is heard and the Ukrainian flag is raised even more often in the international sports arena, we are doing everything for this!" – emphasised patron and project initiator Anatoliy Boyko.

The international sports camps Olympic Dreams project was created to support the Olympic Reserve of Ukraine. During the project's existence, 4 camps have already been held in friendly countries, including Israel, Greece and Cyprus. More than 330 young athletes from the affected regions of Ukraine, representatives of 6 sports, had the opportunity to continue the safety training process, preparing for responsible competitions.

The project was supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Kyiv regional branch of the NOC of Ukraine, the Judo Federation, patrons and ambassadors. Preparations for the organisation of the fifth international camp are currently underway.

Information and details:

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