Ukraine enters the Paris Olympics fighting for survival and freedom against a full-scale Russian invasion now in its third year. A team of Associated Press reporters spread across the vast country and across Europe to document the terrible toll the war has taken on Ukrainian athletes, coaches and sports facilities, and the future of the country's sports as children are killed, seriously injured and displaced. Ukraine was one of the sporting powerhouses that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But the long battle against Russia and its relentless airstrikes, and the deaths of athletes-turned-soldiers on the front lines, are chipping away at Ukraine's sporting dominance. The Ukrainian team at the Paris Olympics is carrying a trauma and a heavy responsibility: to win medals and keep the war in the world's spotlight.
Young gymnast offers hope as futures are threatened
It takes 10 years and a national infrastructure – training facilities, schools, equipment, coaches – to produce an Olympic champion. The Russian invasion destroyed all of this for Ukraine's future athletes.
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The high jumper tries to stay focused, but her mind is on the war
Olympic athletes need total focus and motivation to compete at the top level, but high jumper Katerina Tabashnik often recalls how her hometown of Kharkiv was bombed and devastated by Russian missiles.
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War will be the theme of the Paris Olympics
For Ukrainian hurdler Anna Ryzhikova, the Paris Olympics aren't about medals or records. All she cares about now is using the world stage to draw attention to the war with Russia.
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Boxer's Olympic dreams sacrificed on the battlefield
Maxim Khalinichev had plans to win a medal for Ukraine at the Paris Games, but instead of using his status as an elite athlete to train abroad, he enlisted in the military and made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
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