Team Ukraine competitors arrived in the Netherlands last week for the Invictus Games, all while Russian attacks continue in their country. The circumstances made for a difficult and emotional start to the athletes’ experience at the Paralympic-style sporting event for war veterans.
While other countries excitedly celebrated the start of the games, which Prince Harry founded in 2014, Team Ukraine manager Oksana Horbach tells BAZAAR.com that being fully present in The Hague has been an ‘almost impossible’ challenge for her and her teammates.
‘For all of us, we are here to compete, but our minds are also with our friends, family, and people at home in Ukraine,’ says the 39-year-old, who serves in the Ukraine Armed Forces and just a week ago was supplying meals to servicemen and women in Kyiv. ‘But being here is more than competing, we also have an opportunity to speak to the rest of the world and share our stories at a time when there is so much incorrect information on the situation [in Ukraine].’
