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The Navasart complex in the Snagov commune (about 40 km north of the country's capital, Bucharest - ed.n.) offers peace in the paddle noise made by the Romanian athletes off the lake, but nothing can drive away the thoughts of the Ukrainians from the Olympic kayak-canoe team. They left home when there was peace, and now they can't return because of the war. They experience the turmoil in the oasis of peace at Snagov.
"Clearly I never expected to have a war in Ukraine, but sometimes that happens in life. We were in training camp in Antalya with the Olympic team and now we are very happy to have arrived in Snagov. At the Navasart complex we are offered all the conditions. We all hope that peace will come and we will return to Ukraine. We are glad that the whole sport family is alive, that we are all healthy and we are also glad that we are in Romania," Igor Nagaev, the coordinating coach of the Olympic kayak-canoe team of Ukraine, a very large man, former great athlete of the Soviet Union, with two Olympic medals in canoe in '88, in Seoul, told AGERPRES.
"My heart is broken for what Russia is doing in Ukraine. It is very difficult both physically and spiritually what we can do. We are also fighters, even if we are fighting on the water and our mission is to represent Ukraine. We are very sorry that our people are suffering a lot now, but we have to be strong, keep our heads up," said Liudmila Luzan, a curly-haired girl whom her coach describes as his most optimistic athlete.
Romania received the Ukrainians, as in many other cases, with open arms, everyone is striving to make them, if not to forget the war in their country, at least to feel at home.
"I am sorry that you are going through such moments, but in these times, even if we are opponents in international competitions, this does not matter today. Solidarity in sports is what matters and we want to help you go through these times. I want to assure you that we will do our best to make you feel welcome here and to be able to continue the training. You have all the support from me and the ministry," Minister Eduard Novak told them when he visited them on Wednesday, at the Navasart Sports Complex.
The athletes accommodated in Snagov are the best in Ukraine's kayak-canoe team. And their selection base is large, they have over 750 registered kayak-canoe athletes. Of the 180 athletes in the national junior, youth and Olympic teams, 51 have chosen to come to Romania, the best, world and European champions, medalists at the Olympic Games. One of the girls, who is competing in a special event, went to France because she could not train at Snagov. Another 49 went to Ruse, Bulgaria. The rest, scattered throughout Europe. There is no other chance when there is a risk that at any moment a bomb will explode, a convoy of tanks will appear.
