The war changed the lives of Ukrainians. For professional Ukrainian sportsmen and sportswomen, training sessions and competitions for some time became a second priority. Some of the athletes left sports and went to defend Ukraine. Others, showing leadership, headed volunteer centers. Alina Shukh, a 23-year-old athlete and world record holder, has been coordinating the work of the Volunteer Center in her native town Brovary since the first days of the war. Today Alina is training in France and preparing for the World Athletics Championships, which will be held in the United States in July. Despite her daily training, she remains a public ambassador of Ukraine, conducting information activities - she tells French citizens about the war in Ukraine, motivating them to help Ukrainian men and women.

Reading the news was a bad strategy, so I decided to act

 
The war caught Alina at home in Brovary. Like millions of Ukrainians, the athlete spent the first day reading the news, packing an escape bag, sealing the windows with duct tape, checking nearby shelters, and standing in line for canned food. Alina was worried about her mother, who was about to return from a business trip: 

"On February 23, the Ukrainian Athletics Championship was supposed to begin in Sumy. My mother went there as a coach of another athlete. On the morning of the 24th, my father woke me up with "The war has begun!". We heard explosions in Brovary. We were afraid for my mother because it was already "hot" in Sumy. She left for Kyiv the night before. Her train stopped just outside Sumy and stood in a field for a long time, but eventually reached the capital," tells Alina.

At some point, the athlete says, everything ceased to be important - sports, work. Everything she did, everything that was planned – the war stroked out. Absolutely no one knew what would happen next – there were only uncertainty, anxiety, and fear. 

However, the next day Alina realized that endless reading of news and worrying was a bad strategy; the actions were needed. The war proved once again that Ukrainian women are ready to defend the country equally to men. Some went to the frontline, and others joined volunteer centers. Alina became a coordinator of volunteers in a territorial defense unit of Brovary, trying to systematize the work and create a viable structure.

"As soon as the center's staff started functioning well, my mother, who is also my coach, and I departed for France with the support of the Athletics Federation and the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. After all, one of my obligations as a professional athlete is to represent Ukraine at international competitions. This purpose requires you to restore good shape and a lot of training, which I could not do in Ukraine," says Alina.

I explain to French citizens that this is also their war!

Alina Shukh now lives at a sports base in the northern French town of Watigny. In addition to sports, Alina's priority is to represent Ukraine at the international level - she tries to use her social capital as an athlete in public diplomacy. Regardless of daily training sessions, the athlete manages to communicate with journalists, business representatives, and various civil society organizations.

"While I still was in Ukraine, we faced financial troubles providing humanitarian aid. The wave of support from Ukrainians passed its peak. In France, I pay maximum attention to communicating with business representatives, philanthropies, and journalists ready to help our country," says Alina.

By the way, French journalists spoke highly of the athlete's strength of spirit and courage by writing articles about Alina.

"Until now, the iron will allowed Alina Shukh to perform brilliantly at athletics competitions. At 23, the young Ukrainian is a world champion in javelin throw and a European champion in heptathlon among juniors. Today, the strength of spirit, hardened by high-level competitions, allows Alina to withstand the dramatic events in her country, "- wrote the French newspaper Francetvinfo.

 

Alina has already spoken to representatives of more than ten French media. She is convinced that personal communication, first-hand information, helps achieve goals.

"All French citizens are open to Ukrainians; many people listen. Some help, but so far, in my opinion, few people are helping actively. I understand them as I did not feel the war that started in Ukraine in 2014. Yes, there were athletes from Luhansk and Donetsk regions living in Brovary, I understood that something terrible was happening, but personally, I have not been affected by the war at that time," Alina shared.

 

However, Alina finds arguments for Europeans, which lie primarily in economics. Alina uses her experience as a financial consultant and analyst to prove to French citizens that Russia's aggression affects Ukraine and Europe, and the world. The athlete is currently studying at the University of Oregon (USA) and holds certificates of specialized courses in financial literacy and investment.

Last summer, Alina started working in Ukraine as a financial consultant. She helped families plan a family budget, taught financial literacy, and advised on investments. In November 2021, Alina took part in a hackathon within the WE ACT: Women Empowerment Action program organized by the United Nations Population Fund and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine with the financial support of the European Union. Working together with a diplomat from the MFA during the event, Alina had an idea of a financial literacy course for sportswomen. The online course is in production and soon will be published on the Zrozumilo! platform.

"As a financial consultant, I closely follow the economic situation in the world and the consequences of the cessation of grain supplies from Ukraine to Europe, Africa, and Asia. The world can expect not just a crisis but a food catastrophe. Prices will rise sharply, inflation will increase, and a recession will begin because the work of many industries depends on the wheat harvest. Due to the lack of grain, the quality of animal feed will decrease, there will be less meat, and so on. If the war continues, it will affect the whole world. I explain to French citizens that this is not just our problem. At the same time, it is Ukrainians today who are paying an extremely high price to restrain Russian aggression. That is why the French can support Ukraine to end this war as soon as possible," says Alina.

And it works, says the athlete - after such conversations, the French ask how they can help.

"I am proud to be Ukrainian; we came together and have united the world," Alina is convinced.  

In the heptathlon, you have to show the maximum result from the first attempt 

Still, sports activity remains the priority for Alina; she loves it above all. She admits that when she was a child (Alina was born in Izmail, Odesa region), she went with her mother to training camps and hepta- and decathlon. The girl was pointed to this sport by her parents. When she grew up and had an opportunity to choose her sports path consciously, she did not betray this type of athletics.

For me, heptathlon is the most exciting sport because it is very dynamic and always has a certain intrigue. You never fall out of training one hundred percent, as you can always do something. However, I would never become a runner. It is not my thing. Although we run twice a week, and professional runners - every day. I like javelin throw and high jump the most; these sports work best for me. We have to consider that you always compete with yourself in the heptathlon, and you have to show the maximum result from the first attempt," Alina admits.

 

The athlete does not hide that she feels happy to be able to train in safe conditions. Now she is trying to get back in shape, gradually recovering. The war taught Alina to be flexible and not despair when plans fail. Together with her coach, they consider various options for participation in international competitions.

Alina believes that she will definitely add new medals to her most significant achievements - winning the World Championships in javelin throw and the European Championships in heptathlon among juniors.

Ukrainian sportsmen and sportswomen should continue participating in international competitions and use their social capital for diplomacy. Indeed, today sport plays an essential role in shaping world politics, humanitarian ties, and shaping the image of a country.

Famous sportswomen have now become Ukraine's public ambassadors to the world - they draw the international community's attention to Ukraine's problems and help solve them. They effectively represent Ukraine beyond its borders at the highest level, helping to defend independence and democracy today. Ukrainian athlete Alina Shukh is a shining example of this.

"Sports Women - Public Ambassadors of Ukraine to the World" - an information project created by Inna Egorova, Adviser to the Department of Ukrainians Abroad and Humanitarian Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, and a boxer Victoria Molochko, during a twinning hackathon. The Information project is a part of the WE ACT: Women Empowerment Action program, implemented by the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the financial support of the European Union. The aim of the project is to increase the visibility of women's leadership in sports and public diplomacy. A series of publications about Ukrainian sportswomen and their role in promoting Ukraine's interests at the international level is planned under the project and within the framework of the WE ACT program.

Text: Oksana Yakunina