On September 14, 2025, the «Olympic Style» sports complex of the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine in Kyiv hosted a special competition for veterans with severe injuries and disabilities. The team from the project «Aibolit. The Path to Recovery» demonstrated exceptional physical preparedness and unyielding spirit.

Out of seventeen participants, including one woman, sixteen successfully completed the 25-meter distance, while eight competed in the 50-meter swim. According to Victoria Kramarenko, director of the «Wings of Victory» Foundation and the «Aibolit» project, each participant is a living testament to how sports can break stereotypes and open up new opportunities for people with disabilities. She emphasized that the idea of creating a swimming project, which initially seemed utopian, has transformed into an effective mechanism for the rehabilitation and social integration of veterans.

«I was impressed that the participants initiated the continuation of the competition cycle with prizes themselves. This speaks volumes about their motivation and progress,» said Victoria Kramarenko. Many veterans significantly improved their results compared to previous competitions.

The «Aibolit» project began training in January 2024 in accordance with a memorandum of cooperation with NUPESU. The sessions are held at the «Olympic Style» sports complex in partnership with the university's educational and rehabilitation center.

Thanks to the support of the «Wings of Victory» Foundation, sports equipment has been established, and training on simulators is planned to resume in October. Modern equipment for restoring the musculoskeletal system from Nuga Best has been installed in the rehabilitation office.

After the competition, the representatives of the «Aibolit» project were gifted an icon painted on a fragment of an ammunition box by renowned icon painters Oleksandr Klymenko and Sonya Atlantova. The icon was presented by partner and veteran of the 114th Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine, Dmytro Kulyba.

The organizers express their heartfelt thanks to the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine, the «Olympic Style» sports complex, and the educational and rehabilitation center for their support in developing the swimming direction of the project. Special thanks to Oleksandr Pyzhov, acting rector of NUPESU; Ruslan Sanzharov, director of the sports complex; Viktor Korzh, director of the educational and rehabilitation center; Vadym Dombrovskyi, coach of the Ukrainian Paralympic team; and Roman Vakulenko, rehabilitation doctor.