The War Museum hosted the opening of "The Will to Win: Warriors of Sports" exhibition—the first national-level exhibition dedicated to sports during a full-scale war.
The museum project was initiated by the Office of the President of Ukraine as part of the "The Will to Win" communication campaign to support Ukraine’s representatives at the 2024 Summer Olympics. The National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War and the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine collaborated to bring this large-scale idea to life.
Olena Kovalska, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, emphasized, "Our goal is to show the whole world that the participation of Ukrainian athletes in the 2024 Olympics is already a victory." Additionally, 140 athletes from Ukraine will compete in 23 events.
Rostyslav Karandieiev, the Acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy, emphasized that it would have been unusual to see an exhibition dedicated to sports in the War Museum before. However, he pointed out that it has become part of everyday life, "Olympians are training for competitions amid air raids and power outages and using damaged sports grounds for their practice. Many professional athletes have also served in the Armed Forces. This Museum can effectively showcase the cost of the country’s victories in the sports arena."
"The exhibition features the personal belongings of Ukrainian athletes. Many of them died at the hands of the invaders. And although russia is trying to take everything from us, we do not give up and continue to fight for freedom—the basic value of Ukrainians," said Yuriy Muzyka, First Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, in his speech.
Vadym Gutzeit, President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, said, "This exhibition will be a powerful message for our Olympians—the whole of Ukraine is rooting for you and supporting you!"
The Director General of the War Museum, Yurii Savchuk, expressed his gratitude to the project initiators and partners for what he described as one of the best cooperation experiences. He also stressed the importance of preserving the memory and maintaining the attention of Ukrainians and the international community on significant events. All the artifacts collected during the exhibition preparation will be used again in future museum projects. Additionally, the Head of the Museum highlighted that the exhibition "The Will to Win: Warriors of Sports" will feature live broadcasts of all the crucial moments of the Olympic Games in Paris directly at the venue.
The exhibition features over 50 original exhibits, undeniably proving Ukrainians’ resilience despite the most terrible trials.
We invite you to visit the War Museum and support our Olympic team at the Olympic Games in Paris.
