Ukraine Shines at WPA Heyball Parasport World Championship

From December 14 to 21, 2024, the historic WPA Heyball Parasport World Championship took place in Los Angeles, USA. Athletes from Ukraine's national team, representing the "Pride of the Country" charitable foundation and the "Odesa-Basket" sports club, participated in this remarkable event. The team included Serhii Kotsiuba, Dmytro Danilov, Valerii Chuhuiev, and the national team's sports doctor, Vasyl Rybak.

This championship was not just a competition - it marked the beginning of a new era for billiards parasport worldwide. Ukraine, resilient and strong, proudly stood as a part of this significant event, demonstrating to the world the power, endurance, and unyielding will of its people.

The participation of our team was made possible thanks to the tireless efforts of the "Pride of the Country" foundation. Special acknowledgment goes to Dmytro Danilov and Artyom Kolomiets, whose dedication ensured the successful organization and preparation of the athletes. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the founder of the foundation, Vasyl Rybak, for his unwavering commitment and support of our players.

We would also like to thank Viktoria Nahorna, the head coach of Ukraine's national billiards team, for her invaluable contributions to the development of the parasport. Her inspiration motivates war veterans and people with disabilities to achieve outstanding results and live life to the fullest.

Special appreciation goes to the coach of the Odesa players, Vitalii Sulakov, and the team at the "Arena" billiards club for their essential role in preparing our athletes.

Our sincere thanks to Nagender Parashar, head of Parashar Industries, for providing the team with specialized equipment and apparel. This support goes beyond technical assistance - it offers priceless motivation to our athletes.

We are deeply grateful to the Department of Health of the Odesa City Council and its head, Levon Nikoghosyan, for their comprehensive support of the national team representatives from Odesa.

Finally, we would like to thank LikeBus for ensuring the safe and comfortable transportation of our team from Odesa to Warsaw and back.

We believe that this championship will be the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Ukrainian parasport.