From the author: Independence is a very strong and capacious word. Only an independent country is a country. Athletes prove their love for the country by raising the Ukrainian flag at competitions abroad. But my question remained unanswered. WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO RAIST THE FLAG OF YOUR COUNTRY? “There is no better sponsor than the state” Sergey Bubka Independence Day A good holiday! The strength and power of the country is hidden in the name itself. All countries are independent. As soon as independence is lost, the country is also lost. I remember 1991-1992 well. A referendum, which, according to Soviet habit, everyone went to. I remember that the questions in it were tricky; there was no specific question about leaving the Union. But the referendum passed, statistics were made necessary for Yeltsin and Kravchuk. Ukraine became independent. For Ukrainian sports, this was a step forward. You didn’t have to win the Union Championship in order to go to the World or Europe. It was only necessary to win Ukraine, which was incomparably simpler. I remember the first participation of my country’s team in international competitions. There were no Ukrainian costumes yet, nor any flags. We sewed it ourselves before the trip. When the first suits of the Turkish national team appeared, it was simply an explosion of patriotism and pride for the country. We competed at championships at our own expense or with sponsors’ money. We did not take travel allowances from the Ministry and did not issue “Orders for team travel”. But we raised the flag of our young country and the stadiums sang the anthem with us. Who gave you the right to raise the country's flag? It was with this phrase that my first communication with the Deputy Minister for Sports began in 2001. - Who gave you the right to raise the flag of Ukraine abroad? Don’t you understand that you must take the appropriate documents from us to represent your country at the European Championships? – the official practically shouted at me in his office. I was then a representative of WKF in Ukraine and was invited to the Ministry to get to know each other. - Before I answer your question, answer mine. Who lowered our flag, that I and athletes like me are forced to raise it without your approval? This answer struck the official. He turned out to have a sense of humor, we laughed together. The role of sports in the country This is not about physical education, but about sports. That’s why I don’t write about the contribution to the harmonious development of a citizen, etc. First of all, sport is an advertisement of the country abroad. Even without winning, we advertise the country by participating. And if we win, then we remind not only of the country, but also of the anthem. Champions are looked up to, not only by citizens of their own country, but also by citizens of other, even hostile countries. Sport is a way of transmitting information about your country around the world. Sport is a peaceful war between countries. But to win such a war you don’t have to kill. National team costume Athletes of the Ukrainian national team travel abroad to tournaments of any level wearing the national team costume. On the left chest is the country's coat of arms. The larger the delegation and the higher the level of the team, the more the costumes and coat of arms flash before the eyes of rivals and spectators. There is no need for athletes to create artificial flash mobs to take photographs with the country’s flag or embroidered shirts. There is no need to oblige or force people to take photographs; for an athlete this is not an obligation, but an honorable right to perform in Ukrainian costumes. What is patriotism for an athlete? An athlete does not need to walk down the street with a flag to prove his love for his Motherland. An athlete does not need to beat “vatniks” and “titushki”. There is no need to go to the ATO or participate in nationalist rallies. To demonstrate love for the country, it is enough for an athlete to train well and participate in competitions abroad. When I was an athlete, the flag of my country was raised behind my back twice. And my students raised the flag of Ukraine more than 30 times. Tournaments were of various levels and classes. But the flag was Ukrainian and so was the anthem. This is the true patriotism of an athlete and coach. The patriotism of an athlete must be supported. Is it necessary to support the patriotism of an athlete? Won?