Ukrainian girls team at basketball tournament in Kortrijk

But the eyes are mainly on the girls’ team from Ukraine, where no sports competitions and competitions are currently possible. And the participants can forget about the war for a moment.

Tribute

The qualification match of the Ukrainian girls started this afternoon with a short tribute. All players then received a gift and applause. And for the group, war seemed just as far away.

Maria Dubas, coach Mobi Ukraine: “It is currently difficult to play in Ukraine because there is no electricity. And alarm sirens go off all the time. Playing matches is therefore impossible. Many parents also do not allow their children to go far from home, because it’s too dangerous. You never know where a missile might hit.”

Back to Ukraine

A number of players currently live in Latvia, where they have found temporary accommodation. But some girls return to Ukraine after this tournament.

“It’s hard to just focus on the sport because of everything that’s going on in Ukraine right now. But on the other hand, our young people can enjoy a normal life again. It may not be good for the sport, but this here It’s good for young people.”

“Time to Forget War”

The team will stay in the Parkhotel for this tournament. The semi-finals and finals will be played on Saturday in De Lange Munte.

“Several girls are staying abroad,” says Peter De Lepeleire of the organization. “And it is a unique moment for them to play matches at a higher level again. These are girls who played in the national selection and who are now forced to stop their careers because of that war.

This year they absolutely wanted to give those kids a moment to forget about that war. And now hopefully they will, I think.”

The Ukrainian basketball team is one of the 158 teams at the largest basketball tournament in Europe, where both indoor basketball and e-basket are played. For the first time, game enthusiasts can also participate in a basketball tournament from the comfort of their armchair.