A new exhibition has opened in London's Parliament Square to pay tribute to the more than 400 athletes who have lost their lives in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The initiative aims to highlight the devastating consequences of the conflict, as some 4,000 athletes remain actively engaged on the frontline.
Unveiled today at Parliament Square in Westminster, central London, the 3D display calls attention to the figure “487” – although the actual number of fatalities is believed to be even higher.
The exhibition features sports equipment symbolic of the disciplines of some of the 487 athletes killed, offering a poignant reminder of the horrors of the war.
Ukraine is participating in its first event at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday at 20:00 CET.
The U23 men's football team will take on Iraq in Lyon, in a clash that will be Ukraine's first-ever Summer Olympic football game.
Ukraine at Paris 2024 with its smallest team ever
Only 140 athletes made it to Paris as part of the Ukrainian team, making it the lowest representation at the Summer Games in the country's history.
Among those who were killed by Russia was Oleksandr Pielieshenko, who competed in weightlifting at the Rio 2016 Games. Young athletes also lost their lives, like Kateryna Diachenko, an 11-year-old rhythmic gymnast, who died in an attack on her hometown of Mariupol at the beginning of the war.
The exhibition opened just days after the newly-elected British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted Volodymir Zelenskyy at Downing Street, where the Ukrainian president discussed the need for increased cooperation to bolster industrial production for Ukraine.
“Every Ukrainian athlete at the Olympic Games represents the Ukrainian will to win,” said Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. “By acting quickly and with united efforts, the prospect of a world where Ukrainian athletes and citizens are free from the Russian threat will become a reality.”
UK Foreign Minister David Lammy said the exhibition reaffirmed the UK's unwavering support for Ukraine and its people.
The UK has provided over €15 billion in military, humanitarian and economic support to Ukraine since February 2022.
Ukrainian-American former figure skater Sasha Cohen said she is in “awe of the Ukrainian athletes participating in the Olympic Games”.
“I think of those we miss and have lost due to the war,” she said. “Their courage, strength, and determination embody the spirit of my mother's homeland, and I stand in solidarity with them. Together, we can show the world the power of unity in sport.”
