Oleksandr Svishchov: It is important for us that Ukrainian children have the opportunity to develop during the war

A master class for young tennis players by Ukrainian tennis stars Elina Svitolina and Serhiy Stakhovsky was held in Lviv at the Leoland sports and entertainment center. In this Sports and entertainment centre, its founder, Ukrainian businessman and president of the Ukrainian Water Polo Federation Oleksandr Svishchov, combined active recreation and professional training in various sports under one roof.

Within hours of the event’s announcement on social media, the number of people wishing to attend the master class reached several hundred. According to Oleksandr Svishchov, although they expected interest from young athletes, they were overwhelmed by the number of applications.

“We realized that the arrival of Elina Svitolina and Serhiy Stakhovsky at Leoland would cause a stir among young athletes. But I must admit that we were amazed by the number of people who wanted to attend the workshop: in two hours, we had several hundred parents who registered their children for the event,” said Oleksandr Svishchov, an investor in the Leoland sports complex.

Elina Svitolina said that Ukrainian children are very talented, and such master classes help to discover even more young tennis stars, which the athlete later takes care of. But such events require a lot of effort and free time. However, the number of children who came to Leoland and the emotions of happiness and joy speak volumes about how much the kids need it in this difficult time, Svitolina added.

Mr. Svishchov added that it was a pleasure to watch the children, as they were happy to have the opportunity to talk, take photos and get autographs from such tennis stars as Elina Svitolina and Sergiy Stakhovsky.

In total, the event was attended by about 500 children of different ages from 6 to 16 years old. Such master classes are planned to be held not only in Lviv but also in other cities of Ukraine, Elina Svitolina noted. Together with the team of the Leoland sports complex, the athletes discussed the possibility of organizing similar projects for children in the future.

“The children’s eyes were shining, and we all miss these sincere emotions now. That is why our sports complex is happy to open its doors to such good projects,” said Oleksandr Svishchov.

Oleksandr Svishchov, an investor in the Leoland shopping and entertainment center, said that the complex has been open to visitors for more than a year. In addition to tennis, Leoland offers its guests various types of activities so that every child or adult can find their “own” sport and improve their skills. For the youngest, the complex offers pre-school education classes: chemistry and physics, and kids and adults can try their hand at dancing, tennis, or football.