Israel Hosts Ukrainian Athletes as Part of the 32nd Olympic Dreams Camp
2026-01-21 22:53
An official event was held at the Ukrainian Cultural Center at the Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Israel in Tel Aviv, with the participation of Ukrainian athletes and coaches who are in Israel as part of the 32nd training camp of the international Olympic Dreams project.
The event brought together athletes and the coaching staff of the National Team of Ukraine, the Olympic Dreams project team, the camp organizers, and the head coach of the Israeli National Judo Team.
As a result of the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, more than 800 sports facilities have been destroyed or damaged, including 21 Olympic and Paralympic training centers. Under conditions of constant shelling of Ukrainian cities, ensuring the continuity of the training process for Ukrainian athletes remains one of the top priorities.
For this purpose, the Olympic Dreams project has been organizing international training camps in friendly countries for the fourth consecutive year, creating safe conditions for training Ukrainian athletes and preserving Ukraine’s Olympic reserve.
The current camp is the 32nd in the project and is taking place in the 12th country worldwide. It is symbolic that the first Olympic Dreams camp in spring 2022 took place in Israel as well.
The initiator and patron of the Olympic Dreams project, Anatoliy Boyko, said:
“Israel became the country that, in the very first months of the full-scale war, ensured safe and uninterrupted training conditions for Ukrainian athletes. This support laid the groundwork for our project, which has since grown into a systematic, international initiative. We are sincerely grateful to the entire Israel Judo Association, and personally to Mr. Shany Hershko, for this powerful support at one of the most challenging moment.”
CEO of Olympic Dreams Oleksandra Novikova, and Deputy Head and Minister-Counsellor of the Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Israel Hennadii Breskalenko
During the event, official speeches were given by Hennadii Breskalenko, Deputy Head and Minister-Counsellor of the Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Israel; Shany Hershko, head coach of the Israel National Judo Team and co-organizer of the camp; Olympic Dreams project representatives Oleksandra Novikova and Oleksandra Starkova; and project participant Olha Tsimko, silver medalist at the European Youth Championship.
In addition to intensive training, a cultural program was organized for the camp participants. Ukrainian athletes visited significant historical and holy sites in Israel, which allowed them to gain deeper insight into the history, cultural heritage, and spiritual traditions of the partner country.
Special thanks for supporting the organization of the training process and assistance to Ukrainian athletes go to the Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Israel, the Olympic Committee of Israel, the Israel Judo Association, and the Judo Federation of Ukraine.
CEO of Olympic Dreams Oleksandra Novikova, Head Coach of the Israel National Judo Team Shany Hershko, and Secretary General of Olympic Dreams Oleksandra Starkova
The international Olympic Dreams project remains an important element of support for Ukrainian sports during the war and promotes the development of sports cooperation between Ukraine and friendly nations.