The Ukrainian national hockey team finished second at the World Championship in Division 1A in Sosnowiec, Poland, and earned promotion to the top division—a level the team had not reached since 2007.
At the end of the tournament, Ukraine had three wins and two losses, earning 10 points. The team, led by Dmytro Khristich, secured its spot in the elite division thanks to the result of the tournament’s final match, in which Lithuania defeated the host team—Poland—in overtime (2–1). A Polish victory in regulation time would have cost Ukraine second place.
Kazakhstan became the Division 1A champion with 13 points. They were followed by Ukraine (10), France (8), Poland (8), Lithuania (4), and Japan (2).
Next year, the Ukrainian national team will compete in the top-division World Championship, which will take place May 14–30, 2027, in the German cities of Düsseldorf and Mannheim.
Serhiy Rebrov is stepping down as head coach of the Ukrainian national soccer team, according to the Ukrainian Football Association.
“We thank Serhiy Stanislavovych for his work and his contribution to the development of young soccer players. Today, we need to move forward and make new decisions that will lay the foundation for the national team’s future,” said UAF President Andriy Shevchenko.
It is noted that Rebrov will remain part of the UAF team as vice president and a member of the Executive Committee.
“I am grateful to the entire team and the fans for the journey we have taken. It was a difficult path with victories and defeats, but Ukrainians have always supported the national team. These are moments of unity that I will never forget and for which I will always be grateful. I also thank the UAF for its constant assistance, support, and collaboration,” Rebrov stated.
Rebrov took over as head coach of the national team in 2023 during the European Championship qualifying cycle. The name of the new head coach of the Ukrainian national team will be announced later.
The Ukrainian national tennis team has entered the top 3 of the Billie Jean King Cup world rankings for the first time in history, according to a press release from the National Olympic Committee (NOC).
“A historic achievement: the Ukrainian national tennis team has entered the top 3 of the Billie Jean King Cup world rankings for the first time in history—the largest international team competition in women’s tennis,” the NOC stated in a Telegram post on Saturday.
It is noted that this was made possible by a decisive victory over the Polish team (4-0) in the qualifiers. The team’s victories were secured by Marta Kostyuk, Elina Svitolina, Oleksandra Oliinykova, and the Kichenok sisters—Lyudmila and Nadiya.
Currently, only the teams from Italy and Great Britain rank higher than Ukraine. Ahead of the Ukrainian team, captained by Ilya Marchenko, lies the final stage of the tournament, which will take place in September in Shenzhen, China.
The NOC noted that last year, Ukrainian tennis players entered the top 5 of the world rankings for the first time following their historic run to the tournament semifinals.
Vadym Honcharenko, a student at Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture and a veteran, has joined the Ukrainian national team that will represent the country at the Air Force and Marine Corps Trials international veterans and military competition in the United States in 2026. This was reported by the Come Back Alive Charitable Foundation’s Center for Initiatives.
Based on the results of the selection process, 15 veterans—winners of the All-Ukrainian Defense Forces Competition “GART”—joined the team.
The formation, preparation, and participation of the Ukrainian team in international competitions are carried out jointly by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine and the Come Back Alive Initiative Center.
The Air Force and Marine Corps Trials are international adaptive competitions for military personnel and veterans, which are an official stage of selection for the Warrior Games. They are held annually in the United States and bring together participants from around the world, becoming an important element of the international sports and rehabilitation movement for veterans.
Vadym Honcharenko’s sporting achievements
Throughout 2025, Vadym Honcharenko demonstrated results in a number of adaptive and strength sports. He became the Ukrainian champion in para-arm wrestling and also represented Ukraine at the European Championships.
Throughout the year, Vadym repeatedly participated in functional and team sports competitions, including the Spartan Race, marathons, rugby, and CrossFit competitions. In November, he won the Zvytyaga Nezkonenyh (Victory of the Unconquered) strongman competition among military personnel and veterans, taking first place in several strength disciplines. The end of the year was marked by new prize places in rowing, powerlifting, and strongman multi-event competitions.
The Ukrainian national team won 11 gold, 18 silver and 19 bronze medals at the 2022 World Gymnasium in France, according to the Ministry of Education and Science.
According to the press service of the ministry, the Ukrainian team was represented by 93 students aged 16 to 18.
“During the competition, the Ukrainian team won 11 gold, 18 silver and 19 bronze medals, thanks to which our athletes are among the top ten among 63 countries. For the state to participate in such priority international competitions is a great honor, pride and responsibility,” said. Ministry of Education.
It is noted that the national team of Ukraine competed in the following sports: badminton, 3×3 basketball, boxing, wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling, beach volleyball, gymnastics, judo, athletics, swimming, orienteering, breaking, table tennis, taekwondo, taekwondo 7, archery and fencing.
The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has delegated the right of the Ukrainian national team to play instead of the Russian national team at the 2022 World Championship, according to the website of the Volleyball Federation of Ukraine.
“On April 14, HLF President Mikhail Melnik received a letter from the FIVB, which states that Ukraine will play in the 2022 World Cup instead of Russia. The letter says that there will be no new draw procedure and Ukraine will take Russia’s place in Group A under the first seeded number! ” – the message says.
Initially, the World Cup was supposed to be held in Russia, but the Russian Federation was deprived of the right to host it because of the war in Ukraine. For the same reason, the Russian team was excluded from the tournament.
CHAMPIONSHIP, REPLACE RUSSIA, UKRAINIAN NATIONAL TEAM, VOLLEYBALL
