Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commended athletes from his war-torn country on Friday for preparing to compete in the Paris Olympics despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
As a result of Russia’s third-year invasion, Kyiv claims it will have the weakest Olympic team ever at this year’s Summer Games.
“We are proud of our team — the men and women who, despite this war of aggression, managed to prepare for the Olympics and show the spirit of all Ukrainians,” Zelensky wrote on social media.
“They have our will to win and Ukrainian character,” he added.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Zelensky, wrote on social media Friday that the war in Ukraine had left 487 Ukrainian athletes dead.
Despite heavily disrupted preparations, with some athletes leaving Ukraine, others being killed and training facilities destroyed since Russia invaded on February 24, 2022, Ukraine is still sending a 143-strong team to Paris.