On Thursday, May 9, 2024, Ukraine's Maria Vysochanska will take part in the Olympic torch relay in Marseille, southern France, along with 27 other EU athletes and para-athletes. Torchbearers will carry the torch through the streets of Marseille, a port city in southern France. Marseilles, the day after arriving in an imposing three-masted ship for a welcoming ceremony. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
By SYLVIE CORBET and TOM NOUVIAN (Associated Press)
MARSEILLE, France (AP) – Ukrainian gymnast Maria Vysochanska on Thursday led a delegation of European athletes to carry the Paris Olympic torch through the Mediterranean city of Marseille, an important event for the war-torn country. It was a symbolic moment.
The Marseille torch relay began an 11-week journey across France ahead of the Olympic opening ceremony on July 26. The atmosphere was electric as the crowded streets of Marseille cheered as the relay of torchbearers, which included athletes such as basketball player Tony Parker and former soccer player, cheered. Basil Boli.
The big moment for Ukraine came at midday. To celebrate Europe Day on May 9, 27 athletes and para-athletes from EU countries took part in a relay race with the torch in hand. They welcomed Vysochanska with a guard of honor. She won two gold medals at the 2020 European Championships and qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
“It is very difficult to express in words all the emotions that I experienced,” said the 21-year-old athlete. “I feel incredibly happy and proud that Ukraine has become the 28th country[to carry the torch along with EU member states]and that the captain has chosen me to carry the torch. ”
After handing over the torch to the next torchbearer, the European group was greeted by France's Minister of Sports Amélie Houdea Castella.
The French government, which has been increasingly supportive of Ukraine, invited Vysochanska to the event. The war has greatly complicated the efforts of Ukrainian athletes to prepare for the Olympics.
“This is a way to insist on our unity against Ukraine,” Udea Castella said early Thursday. “We are putting in a lot of effort to prepare them (Ukrainian players) in the best possible way when they face that terrible war of aggression, and we will support them with all our might. I would like to sincerely express that I am.”
Vysochanska's participation has personal meaning. Her father has been fighting since 2015, a year after Russia's invasion began with the illegal annexation of Crimea, followed by armed conflict in eastern Ukraine. Her father took part in the 242-day battle for the Donetsk airport, where she received a head wound. The soldiers who guarded the airport in the now-Russian-occupied city of Donetsk held their positions for so long that they were nicknamed “cyborgs” in Ukraine.
His involvement also reflects Ukraine's commitment to joining the European Union, which agreed last year to accelerate accession negotiations.
In March, the International Olympic Committee announced that athletes from Russia and Belarus would not participate in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, citing the war that Russian President Vladimir Putin started in Ukraine. Athletes from these countries must go through a two-step vetting process in order to compete under a neutral flag.
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Nubian reported from Paris. Contributed by Hanna Ahirova from Kiev.