“Sport is also a front”: Oleksandr Svishchov summarizes the performance of the Ukrainian national team

Ukraine’s water polo team has completed its performances at the World Cup among second division teams. The team showed a competitive game, won a resounding victory over Canada (17:13) and refused to play a match against the Russians, who are playing under neutral status.

President of the Ukrainian Water Polo Federation Oleksandr Svishchov noted that the team gradually gained in strength during the tournament.

“Our guys came up in good shape, but due to the lack of leaders, the lineup was not optimal. At the same time, the progress was obvious,” he said.

In the group stage, the Ukrainians put up a fight against France, defeated Hong Kong and narrowly lost to Argentina.

The key moment was the victory over Canada.
“This is a real success. We beat a world-class team that regularly plays in top tournaments,” emphasized Svishchov.

He also drew attention to the youth of the squad:
“We were one of the youngest teams in the tournament, and this gives us optimism for the future.”

Separately, the President of the Ukrainian Water Polo Federation commented on the refusal to play with the Russians:
“We cannot shake hands with those whose country is waging war against us. There is no neutrality between the aggressor and the victim.”

According to him, moral principles are more important than the result:
“Moral defeat is the only thing we fear.”

“Today, Ukrainian sports is also a front. We choose loyalty to our country,” Svishchov summarized.