France to continue supporting Ukrainian sport

On the sidelines of the 18th Conference of Ministers Responsible for Sport of the Council of Europe, which is taking place in Porto, Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Matvii Bidnyi met with Minister of Sport, Youth and Non-Governmental Organizations of the French Republic Gil Avérous.

Matvii Bidny thanked the French Government for its assistance in preparing the Ukrainian national teams for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and for the French assistance in organizing the Ukrainian House in Paris, which became an important cultural center of Ukraine during the Olympics. VOLIA SPACE played a key role in communicating with the international audience and became a media and cultural platform that represented Ukraine to the world.

The Minister informed about the situation in Ukrainian sports in the context of the full-scale invasion of russia, the losses suffered by the sports sector, the deaths of athletes, coaches and youth activists, and the destruction of sports infrastructure.

In this context, Matvii Bidnyi emphasized that, despite the difficult times, the Government of Ukraine continues to implement projects and initiatives aimed at developing top-level sports, mass sports, implementing the best international and European standards in the sports sector, and implementing an effective anti-doping policy. The Minister expressed his interest in continuing the bilateral dialogue and studying the best French experience in the development of top-level sports and sports science.

The Minister of Sport, Youth and Non-Governmental Organizations of the French Republic, Gil Avérous, congratulated his Ukrainian counterpart on his election to the WADA Executive Committee. In addition, the French side offered to continue providing support in organizing training camps for Ukrainian national teams in France.

Gil Avérous expressed solidarity with Ukraine and emphasized the French side's continued support for the Ukrainian sports community as long as the war continues.