The Invictus Games are set to kick off in Vancouver and Whistler on Saturday, and of the more than 20 nations taking part, thereโs little doubt the chance to compete means the most to the one country currently at war.
The multi-sport tournament draws athletes who are wounded, injured or sick military service personnel, both serving and veterans.
Some of those athletes, like Illia Haiduk, hail from Ukraine,ย which has been at active war since Russiaโs 2022 invasion.
โItโs very great thing to me,โ Haiduk said of the games.
โI just donโt feel like I am injured, like Iโve got some problems. I just live my life like I did before. Itโs a very great project, this Invictus.โ
Haiduk, who walks with a prosthetic after having his leg amputated, is competing in skiing, skeleton, rowing and wheelchair basketball.
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Itโs a far cry from his former life.
The 34-year-old served as a police officer for more than six years before the war, when he decided to sign up with the military to defend his country.
In the army, he served as a battle drone operator, flying UAVs armed with up to a kilogram of explosives against enemy troops and tanks, and rising to the rank of unit commander.
That all changed in October 2023, while he was away from the front lines.
โI was injured during a ceremony that gathered many soldiers, men and women who had performed their duties, courage and dedication to protect our country,โ he said.
โAn enemy drone saw military units thereโฆ When they saw us, they sent an Iskander missileโฆ A lot of my fellow brothers died this day.โ
Haiduk lost part of his leg to shrapnel in the attack and faced a long recovery afterward.
โMore than eight months I was without a prosthetic. It was like operations maybe each month,โ he said.
But during his recovery, he began to get into athletics.
It was there he tapped into a community of veterans that he said helped him in immeasurable ways.
โWhen you are training with other guys that have such injuries, that have the same problems, itโs very motivational,โ he said.
Now, in Canada for the first time, he says heโs excited to represent his country and to explore the terrain.
โThe most I like is skiing. I am so fall in love with this sport. Downhill skiing on one ski and one leg and two outriggers,โ he said.
โSuch great hills, great weather, great mountains. Itโs very beautiful.โ
Team Ukraine has 24 athletes in this yearโs games, which have attracted more than 500 participants from around the world.
โI stand here because I survived,โ Haiduk said. โBut I have a responsibility to those who have their stories but canโt speak today.โ
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