Archive · 19 Aug 2026
Ukrainian Badminton Players Share War’s Impact at World Championships
Two Ukrainian badminton players are competing at a major tournament in New Delhi.
They say playing for Ukraine is especially important because their country is at war with Russia.
Polina Buhrova said training at home sometimes meant stopping practice and running to a shelter when alarms sounded.
Because training in Ukraine became too difficult, the team moved its training base to Italy.
Yevheniia Kantemyr also now lives and trains in Italy.
The players want to show that Ukraine is still fighting and growing.
Kantemyr disagreed with a decision by the International Olympic Committee involving Russia’s Olympic committee.
The IOC says individual athletes should not be punished for the actions of their governments.
Polina Buhrova and Yevheniia Kantemyr are competing for Ukraine at the World Championships in New Delhi.
Buhrova said Ukrainian athletes trained under air-raid alarms and had to run to shelters.
The war made elite training in Ukraine impossible, so the national team established a base in Italy.
Kantemyr said competing internationally allows the pair to represent Ukraine and make the country proud.
Kantemyr criticized the International Olympic Committee’s provisional lifting of its Russian Olympic Committee suspension, while IOC President Kirsty Coventry said athletes should not be blamed for government actions.
- Who
- Ukrainian badminton players Polina Buhrova and Yevheniia Kantemyr, the International Olympic Committee, and IOC President Kirsty Coventry.
- What
- The Ukrainian players discussed the impact of the war on their training and competition, while Kantemyr criticized the IOC’s decision concerning Russia.
- When
- The comments were reported on August 19; the World Championships were scheduled to run through August 23.
- Where
- The World Championships are being held in New Delhi, and Ukraine’s national squad is based in Italy for training.
- Why
- The players are competing to represent Ukraine, demonstrate its resilience, and make their country proud.
Ukrainian concerns
IOC position
Russian Olympic Committee suspension
Ukrainian concerns
Yevheniia Kantemyr called the IOC’s provisional lifting of the suspension a big mistake, while emphasizing that she held nothing personal against individual competitors.
IOC position
Kirsty Coventry said athletes should not be held accountable for the actions of their governments and that the IOC would continue supporting Ukraine while not condoning war.
- Event
- World Championships badminton tournament
- Location
- New Delhi
- Competition dates
- The championships run through August 23
- Ukrainian players
- Polina Buhrova and Yevheniia Kantemyr
- Training base
- Italy
- War impact
- Buhrova said Ukrainian players had trained under bomb-related alarms and run to shelters
- IOC decision
- The International Olympic Committee provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee last month