Ukraine badminton duo’s world championship pride amid Russia conflict

Polina Buhrova ⁠and Yevheniia Kantemyr showing country is ‘fighting, believing and growing’, after pair forced to leave homeland for careers

For Ukrainian shuttlers Polina Buhrova ⁠and Yevheniia Kantemyr, ⁠competing at the ongoing World ⁠Championships in New Delhi is a way to showcase the resilience of a country battling its invasion by Russia.

Lives have been turned upside down since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in ‌2022 and, as for many of her compatriots, the conflict remains an everyday reality for Buhrova.

“It’s still really, really bad,” the Kharkiv-born player told reporters.

“It’s really hard, but that also gives me a lot of power and I’m really proud to represent my country as a fighter, and ⁠show how Ukraine is fighting, believing and growing.”

Buhrova said elite training had become impossible ‌in Ukraine, forcing the national squad to find a base in Italy.

“When the war started, I was in Ukraine,” she ‌said. “We were practising under the bombs. An alarm would go and you ⁠needed to throw ⁠everything on the floor and run to the shelter.”

Her doubles partner Kantemyr, who left Ukraine as ‌a teenager and is also now based in Italy, said being able to compete internationally carried added ‌significance.