President of the Ukrainian Judo Federation Mykhailo Koshlyak, in an exclusive comment to Sport RBC.UA, spoke about the key difficulties faced by Ukrainian judoka during the war. According to him, the problem goes beyond training and competitions themselves: it affects the athlete's entire journey to them — from logistics and travel across the country to the psychological state, which increasingly influences final competition results.
Logistics as the main challenge
The head of the Federation named logistics as one of the most acute problems. Athletes have to cover long distances across Ukraine, often amidst air raid alerts and train stoppages. "Right now, it is very difficult to reach the training camp and competition venues. Because you have to travel across the entire country, and there are explosions, alerts, trains stopping. You understand yourself — it's war," Koshlyak emphasized. Thus, even with a training plan in place, physical movement to the gathering location becomes a challenge in its own right.
Demographic losses
Alongside logistics, Koshlyak pointed out the demographic factor: many young athletes are leaving Ukraine, which reduces the personnel reserve and complicates preparation. In his assessment, demographics and logistics form a bundle of two main external obstacles that the Federation must contend with when organizing the training process and participating in competitions.
Funding under control
At the same time, according to the Federation president, the situation regarding funding and holding training camps remains under control. Koshlyak noted the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports: "With the help of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, thank God, everything is fine with us. There is an action plan and a gathering plan developed by the Federation. This plan is approved by the Ministry and we fulfill it." Thus, at the organizational and resource level, work is proceeding according to the approved plan.
Psychological tension
According to Koshlyak, the psychological state of the athletes requires the most attention. Constant military circumstances and tension, he says, affect readiness for performances. "Very high tension, this puts pressure on them. The athletes try hard, but we see a lot of anxiety that affects the final result," explained the head of the Ukrainian Judo Federation. He emphasized that athletes continue to work and prepare for competitions, but the psychological load remains a serious factor that must be taken into account.
Overall, according to the Federation's leadership, Ukrainian judo during the war operates in a mode of constant overcoming of external limitations: logistics and demographics form objective barriers, the financial side is maintained at the state level, and the key internal challenge becomes the psychological resilience of the athletes, upon which the result on the tatami directly depends.
