Ukraine Surprises at the Olympics

By Walter Kish

Like millions, if not billions of other people around the world, I have been preoccupied the past few weeks watching the Olympics unfold in Beijing.  They were memorable from a number of perspectives, not the least being that despite all the idealistic rhetoric of how the Olympics would open up China and improve the human rights situation there, the reality proved otherwise.  The current crop of autocratic Chinese government mandarins never had any intention of loosening their control over their toiling masses the slightest bit.   All the promises they made to obtain the Olympics were little more than cynical propaganda.  It should be noted that the widespread international flack that the Chinese authorities got for muzzling protesters and censoring Internet access seems to have made not the slightest impression on them at all.

Despite the political disappointment, there is little doubt that the Chinese put on a spectacular show.  It has been estimated that they spent some 40 billion dollars to stage the two week extravaganza, and it certainly showed.  The opening and closing ceremonies were certainly awe inspiring, and the fireworks on those occasions prove that the Chinese have no equals in pyrotechnic displays.  The various stadiums and venues were architectural wonders and certainly give credence to the fact that China is indeed emerging as a dynamic economic power. 

Canada, despite a slow start in the first week, wound up with a respectable 18 medals, surpassing their Athens 2004 Olympics total of 12.  Optimistic expectations prior to the start of the Olympics had Canada coming in with somewhere around fifteen or sixteen medals, so the competition can be said to have been a success.

Interestingly, Ukraine came started with a similar numerical expectation, but greatly surprised most experts, finishing up with 27 medals, including 7 Gold.  In Athens, Ukraine won 23 medals, and it was thought that with limited state support of athletics and a deteriorating sports infrastructure, Ukraine would see its medal count decline significantly in Beijing.  Ukrainian athletes proved them wrong.

They won in such diverse events as wrestling, boxing, judo, shooting, archery, canoe, kayak, fencing, athletics, cycling and gymnastics.  Ukraine actually won another medal, a Silver in the Women’s Heptathlon by Liudmilla Blonska, however, she was stripped of her medal after failing a doping test.  Another Ukrainian athlete, wrestler Igor Razoronov, was also expelled from the games after testing positive for steroid use.

These were the fourth Summer Olympics in which Ukraine has participated as an independent country.  Of course, Ukrainians athletes were always prominent during the Soviet era, usually compromising a quarter of the athletes competing under the USSR banner.  Shortly after Ukraine became independent, it organized is own Olympic committee in 1992, and in 1994 competed for the first time as a country in its own right in the Lillehammer 1994 Winter Olympics, winning two medals, a Gold and a Bronze. 

Ukraine has fared well in the Summer Olympics to date:

Atlanta 1996 (23 Medals, 9 Gold)

Sydney 2000 (23 Medals, 3 Gold)

Athens 2004 (23 Medals, 9 Gold)

Beijing 2008 (27 Medals, 7 Gold)

For the Beijing 2008 Olympics, Ukraine fielded a team of 240 athletes, competing in 20 different sports, and wound up in 11^th place overall. Not bad at all!