European wrestling champion Jarkko Ala-Huikku did not hesitate to act after hearing about the situation of his Ukrainian colleagues.
ILMAJOKI.
– This was quite a surprise for us. And an exceptionally fine deed.
Longtime wrestling coach Artur Dzyhasov61, can’t help but smile when recounting the events of the past few days.
Dzyhasov and the Ukrainian youth wrestling team have been European champions for about a week Jarkko Ala-Huikun at home in Ilmajoki. Ala-Huikku has accommodated ten wrestlers in their twenties and three coaches in their over one hundred square meter wooden house.
The Ukrainian team has been on a training camp in Ilmajoki and will compete in the traditional Arvo Haavisto tournament this weekend.
The team’s visit to South Ostrobothnia’s wrestling venue was not a given.
The almost two-year defensive war against Russia has also left its mark on sports. Funds for wrestling and other sports are tighter than before. In order to ease the situation of his colleagues, Ala-Huikku offered his home for the team’s use free of charge.
– I was on a trip for a large part of their time here, so this was easy to organize because of that, Ala-Huikku explains.
The Ukrainians eagerly accepted the unique offer. Converting a home into a guest house required good advance planning from Ala-Huiku. The upper floor became the sleeping area for the wrestlers, the lounge area on the lower floor, and the sauna building in the yard became the coaches’ fort.
– Our club Ilmajoki Kisailaijii has a large number of mattresses. We got them and my mother and I put beds for ten athletes upstairs. The house is small, so the boys are there like herrings in a barrel, he says.
National team wrestler Vasyl Myshanytsin according to the lack of space has not been a problem for the athletes, on the contrary.
– This has been great. We have a really good-natured group. We’d love to live in the same house, even if it’s a little smaller. This has only made us closer.
The youth national team is piloted by Dzyhasov and Yevhen Myahkyi praise the warm atmosphere of the hundred-year-old detached house, the hospitality of Finnish colleagues and the snowy landscapes of Ostrobothnia.
– The only minus is that Jarkko hasn’t lived with us. We would have liked to do Ukrainian meat skewers with him, in the 1996 Olympic semi-final For Marko Aselli lost Dzyhasov regrets.
Much-needed joy in everyday life
The group of Ukrainians that traveled to Finland has youth competition medalists and promises for the future. The week’s camp at Ilmajoki culminates in the international Arvo Haavisto tournament on Saturday.
Today, the national team wrestlers mainly live in Kyiv, where the famous Koncha-Zaspa training center is located. It’s not always safe there either, but it’s safer than many other areas.
There is a lot familiar in the athletes’ stories: some have lost their homes, some friends, some family members. Worry and fear are always present. That’s why camps abroad are especially important for young wrestlers.
– The boys have lost a lot. Now they get to live together in a cozy space and spend time in fairy-tale winter landscapes. I hope the time here cheers them up, Dzyhasov sighs.
The support of foreign colleagues has been valuable for the national team. Coaches Dzyhasov and Myahkyi send their warm thanks to Ala-Huiku, the sports active in Ostrobothnia, and Blacksmith and Marko Yli-Hannusela.
– They and the entire Finnish wrestling community have shown that they care about us.