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Dec 16 2020

NSPA continues to support wounded servicemen and veterans in Ukraine under NATO Trust Fund

LUXEMBOURG – On 13 December 2020, the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), handed over a wheelchair-accessible minibus to the Ukrainian National Team during Unconquered 2.0, an online competition launched in Ukraine for wounded military personnel and veterans. This assistance was provided through the NATO Medical Rehabilitation Trust Fund.

Since 2017, NSPA, as responsible of the implementation of the NATO Medical Rehabilitation Trust Fund, has supported Ukrainian soldiers' participation in the Invictus Games, a multinational sporting event aimed at rehabilitating and motivating wounded and sick military personnel and veterans through sport.

This year marks the fifth iteration of the Invictus Games. The Games, planned in The Hague (The Netherlands), were postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions. As a result, the Organizing Committee of the Invictus Games in Ukraine decided to launch Unconquered 2.0, an online competition for wounded military personnel and veterans from different regions of Ukraine. In total, more than 60 participants, including representatives from the Ukrainian National Team, competed virtually in six sports categories: track and field, powerlifting, archery, swimming, indoor rowing and road cycling. Participants recorded their results, announced live during a virtual event held on 13 December 2020.

Kristina Martsynkovska, Chief of NSPA Office in Ukraine, was present at the event. "These soldiers-athletes set an example to all of us, to their brothers-in-arms, to their families, to the youngsters and to me as a citizen of Ukraine". During the ceremony, she handed over the keys of a Wheelchair Accessible Minibus to the Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, Mr Ihor Bezkorovaynyi, on behalf of NSPA.

Kristina Martsynkovska, NSPA Chief of Office in Ukraine handing over the Wheelchair Accessible Minibus to the Ukrainian National Team during Unconquered 2.0 Final

The adapted vehicle was purchased by NSPA with the contributions of the Trust Fund donor nations and will enable the team to continue training and participating in international sports competition. Mr Ihor Bezkravaynyi and members of the Invictus Games Team Ukraine expressed sincere gratitude for the donation and the comprehensive support that the NATO Medical Rehabilitation Trust Fund Project in Ukraine provides, not only to veterans but also to the development of inclusion and accessibility in Ukraine.

Following the NATO Wales Summit in 2014, medical rehabilitation was identified as a key area for developing practical cooperation with Ukraine. Since the implementation of the NATO-Ukraine Medical Rehabilitation Trust Fund in 2016, more than 940 military personnel, civilians and internally displaced persons have been supported through their physical, psychological and vocational rehabilitation. The Trust Fund, led by Bulgaria with contributions from 17 NATO Members and partners, has also made a significant impact by increasing the capacity of Ukraine's medical rehabilitation system across the country to provide care for wounded personnel, including through training key rehabilitation staff and state-of-the-art rehabilitation equipment to hospitals.

The Wheelchair Accessible Minibus was purchased by NSPA with the contributions of the Trust Fund donor nations and will enable the team to continue training and participating in international sports competition.  In the picture, representatives from the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine (members of Commission NSPA Office in Ukraine representative Ms Iuliia Prysiazniuk

Watch Kristina Martsynkovska handing over the keys to the Ukrainian National team during Unconquered 2.0 live event (subtitles in English by Artem Danilenko)

Story by NATO Support and Procurement Agency

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