Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Matvii Bidnyi and his team met with Sandra Felix, Director of the Swiss Federal Office of Sport. The meeting was held at the National Sports Centre in Magglingen, Switzerland.

The meeting with the Swiss side was also attended by Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports for European Integration Victoriia Riasna and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein Iryna Venediktova.

“Thanks to the support of our international partners, we feel that a just peace is possible and is getting closer every day. This inspires us to move forward,” said Matvii Bidnyi.

The parties discussed the possibilities of expanding cooperation between sports federations and organisations of the two countries, studying the Swiss experience of sports management in the context of reforming the Ukrainian sports sector. The parties also discussed deepening cooperation in the fight against doping and manipulation.

“We are grateful to Switzerland for its assistance in testing Ukrainian athletes for doping in 2022-2024 as part of the World Anti Doping Agency’s solidarity programme. Our representatives cooperate within the framework of the Macolin Convention. We also promote the philosophy of fair play through the National Sports Integrity Platform,” Matvii Bidnyi said.

Among other things, the parties discussed the development of sports rehabilitation and adaptive sports in Ukraine.

“Sport is a powerful tool for social adaptation and psychological support for the military. We are interested in studying the Swiss experience, in particular in the use of adaptive sports for the social integration of veterans,” the Minister said.

During the visit, the Ukrainian delegation toured the sports facilities at the National Sports Centre in Magglingen, which is the main training complex in Switzerland, where Olympic and Paralympic athletes are trained and where scientific research in the field of sports is conducted.