For the participating children, they lived those moments to the fullest,” said Suceava Sport For All Director  Mihai Androhovici. “The successes of the Olympians were still fresh in their visual memory and the children could not believe that they were now in front of them.  “The Ukrainian children were just as happy as the Romanian ones to touch the Olympic medals, the mascots from different editions of the Olympic Games, to take photos with the Olympic champions and to do physical exercises with them."

The 20 Ukrainian children are just a few of the many refugees finding a safe space at Suceava Sport For All, which delivers direct sports activities to young people in the city in the east of Romania - close to the Ukrainian border. The programme is part of a wider group of partners, including Laureus Sport for Good, which have been working together since 2023 under the Integration of Ukrainian Refugees Through Sports (IURTS) project, co-funded by the European Union.

It was through the IURTS project that Suceava Sport for All were able to develop and utilise training tools and educational materials to integrate Romanian and Ukrainian children in all its programming, including that summer afternoon with the Romanian Olympians. 

“I liked meeting Andrei [Cornea],” said Denys, who is in the fourth grade and joined Suceava Sport for All in 2023. “I liked him because he is powerful and purposeful. I learned that it’s important to do sport. If you are told you can’t, just go ahead and see if you like it. And if you do, continue to pursue it.”

 Andrei Cornea was one of Romania’s top gold medalists at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with a come-from-behind victory in the men’s double sculls. In Suceava, he helped the children warm up and let them hold his gold medal from Paris. 

"Since 2016 I have worked continuously to get an Olympic medal. Don't stop dreaming because it's the simplest and most beautiful [thing],” Cornea told the children. 

Other Olympians included Cristina Iloc-Casandra (athletics, Beijing 2008 and London 2012); Madalina Amaistroaie (archery, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024); and Ioana Madalina Morosan (rowing, Paris 2024), all helping the children try different sports and passing on the life lessons they’ve learned from being athletes. 

Yaroslav, who also came from Ukraine, enjoyed holding the Paris 2024 mascot Phryges that he’s seen Olympians hold on TV. He was also introduced to badminton, which gave him a similar feeling to playing his favourite sport.

“My favourite sport is football, and when I play, I feel that I am fast, powerful,” said Yaroslav, who’s participated in Suceava Sport for All for more than two years. 

 Denys said he followed Team Ukraine at Paris 2024, and his most memorable moment was watching Yaroslava Mahuchikh win gold in the women’s high jump. 

“I watched football and high jump,” he said. “I felt proud for Ukraine.”

As the war continues, the importance of maintaining a connection for the children with their homeland – where friends and relatives remain – is an important element of their lives.  Integration into their host countries is aided by the IURTS programme’s provision of classroom materials to local teachers, helping them tailor activities to the needs and language abilities of their Ukrainian guests. The teachers report that materials involving sport, play and physical activity encourage interaction and help with providing the sense of safe spaces.

So far, the IURTS project has reached over 10,000 children in responding to the war in Ukraine, and supported more than 150 teachers in over 60 schools and sport clubs, and continues to do more – through the Olympics and beyond.