---
title: "Olha Saladukha: a full medal set at the 2026 European Championships and the fight to keep Russian athletes out — the key takeaways from Birmingham"
description: "UAF President Olha Saladukha reviewed the 2026 European Championships in Birmingham: the Ukrainian team won a full set of four medals, and the fight to keep Russian and Belarusian athletes out of international competition continues."
date: 2026-08-25T15:32:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/saladukha-2026-european-championships-birmingham-takeaways
tags: [athletics, european-championships-2026, birmingham, ukraine, world-athletics, olga-saladukha]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Olha Saladukha: a full medal set at the 2026 European Championships and the fight to keep Russian athletes out — the key takeaways from Birmingham

![Olga Saladukha with her gold medal at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/26/itogi-chempionata-evropy-2026-birmingem-saladukha/itogi-chempionata-evropy-2026-birmingem-saladukha-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The Ukrainian team won a full set of four medals at the 2026 European Championships in Birmingham and set national records.
- Finals were noted in disciplines where Ukrainians had not competed at such a level for a long time, in particular in the men's pole vault.
- The organization of the event in Birmingham was rated as top-tier: a convenient arena and the rare placement of the throwing sector on the warm-up arena.
- World Athletics' position on excluding Russians and Belarusians, in Saladukha's words, remains unchanged, despite individual votes in favor of their return in the Council.

Olha Saladukha, President of the Ukrainian Athletics Federation, wrote an op-ed for Sport RBC.UA reviewing the 2026 European Championships held in Birmingham. In her words, what matters is not what "could have been" but what actually happened, and thinking together about how to improve the system, since "there is never a limit to perfection." The column combines an assessment of the national team's performances, impressions of the event's organization in the United Kingdom, and a stance on a key political issue — the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competition.

### Results of the Ukrainian team

The Ukrainian team won four medals at the European Championships — a full set — and also set national records and posted strong personal bests. Saladukha noted that the event's debutants, though not all of them, managed to get through the first round, and that in disciplines where Ukrainians had not competed at such a level for a long time, there were finals again — in particular, in the men's pole vault. The federation's president emphasized that she does not want to single anyone out but values "the team as such": the athletes stepped up and gave it their all, despite injuries, personal dramas, and other circumstances. She separately commented on Artur's season, which, in her words, has been a tough year due to back problems: in Birmingham he "choked" in the qualifying round, where he was required to throw as if in the final, and this left him disappointed, a feeling compounded by his subsequent performance at the Diamond League in Lausanne. Nevertheless, Saladukha expressed confidence that the athlete knows how to analyze and will realize his potential at the World and European Championships.

### Organization of the event in Birmingham

According to Saladukha, competitions in the United Kingdom are always held to the highest standard and thought through to the finest detail. In Birmingham, in particular, the arena is conveniently laid out: the main and warm-up stadiums are well combined, and the building on the warm-up site houses many rooms needed by organizers and athletes. A rare feature was the placement of the long-throw sector on the main warm-up arena — usually throwers warm up at a different venue and then travel to the main stadium. The European Championships, in the federation president's words, are also about communication with colleagues from other federations, exchanging experience, building contacts, workshops, and ideas for improving both the competitive and the educational components.

### The fight to keep Russians and Belarusians out

In Saladukha's words, World Athletics' position is unshakable: there are no preconditions for the return of Russians and Belarusians to competition, and a similar stance is held by several other major sports — football and biathlon, for example. At the same time, she acknowledges that this year there were votes in favor of their return in the World Athletics Council, but the position of President Sebastian Coe and the majority of Council members, in her words, remains unchanged. Saladukha pointed out that the world is gradually getting used to the war, which makes the fight to maintain the exclusion more difficult, and listed the arguments: the destruction of infrastructure, the occupation of territories, "sports annexations" involving the creation of federations on occupied territories, the forced participation of athletes in war instead of training, and state-level doping programs. In her belief, all of this demonstrates the inadmissibility of this state's symbols, athletes, and officials being present on the international arena, and the Ukrainian side must defend its position not only with words but also with facts.

### Conclusions and outlook

In conclusion, Saladukha noted that not everything worked out for everyone, but there was plenty to be proud of regarding the athletes. She emphasized the team nature of the performance and the need for systematic work: maintaining a high level of organization, developing the educational direction, and consistently arguing the position on excluding the opponents from international competition. As for the prospects of individual athletes, including Artur, she tied them to their ability to analyze and realize their potential at the season's biggest events.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [More than medals: the key takeaways after the European Championships in Birmingham](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/othersport/lishe-medali-golovni-visnovki-pislya-chempionatu-1787654080.html) - Авторская колонка О. Саладухи: 4 медали (полный комплект), нацрекорды, финал в прыжке с шестом (мужчины), высокая организация в Бирмингеме, позиция World Athletics и Совета по недопуску россиян/белорусов. Часть утверждений — мнение автора и перспективные ссылки.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: How many medals did the Ukrainian team win at the 2026 European Championships in Birmingham?
**A:** According to UAF President Olha Saladukha, the Ukrainian team won a full set of four medals and also set national records and posted strong personal bests.

### Q: What is World Athletics' position on allowing Russians and Belarusians to compete?
**A:** Saladukha states that the position is unshakable and that returning Russians and Belarusians is not planned, although this year there were votes in favor of their return in the World Athletics Council; the position of President Sebastian Coe and the majority of Council members, in her words, remains unchanged.

### Q: What was noted about the organization of the event in Birmingham?
**A:** A high level of organization was noted: a conveniently laid-out arena combining the main and warm-up stadiums, many rooms for organizers and athletes, and the rare placement of the long-throw sector on the main warm-up arena.