The CBA Initiatives Center, within the framework of the “Our People Are Here” project, is organizing a series of free workshops for Ukrainian veterans titled “How Adaptive Sports Support Recovery.” The events will take place in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa, Dnipro, and Kyiv, and are open to participants by prior registration.

During the three-hour workshop, participants will learn about the benefits of adaptive sports in the recovery process and how to develop adaptive sport initiatives in their own communities. The program also includes a hands-on component, where veterans will have the opportunity to try different adaptive sports such as Olympic archery, boccia, and wheelchair basketball. A detailed workshop schedule is available on the “Our People Are Here” project website.

Below — photos from training sessions for Ukrainian veterans organized as part of the selection process for Invictus Games 2025. Photos by Serhii Halushka and Tim Pushkaruk.

The main speaker at each event is Taras Kovalyk, a war veteran, person with a disability due to the war, and Head of the Veteran Department at the CBA Initiatives Center.

“We’re holding these workshops because we truly believe it’s important to share knowledge that helps veterans recover faster — and to let them experience for themselves how adaptive sports work.

For me, developing adaptive sports in Ukraine is also a personal mission. I was wounded in the war, so I know firsthand what physical and psychological limitations mean. Many of those limits were in my mind — and they were the ones holding me back.

It’s vital that people who paid a high price defending our country have access to resources and environments where they don’t feel constrained by their injuries, but instead regain their sense of strength and capability. Adaptive sports give that — a sense of power, dignity, and new opportunities.” — Taras Kovalyk, veteran and Head of the Veteran Department at the CBA Initiatives Center

The event is designed for veterans who want to try adaptive sports and spend meaningful time together. No special physical training is required. The practical sessions will be adapted to various fitness levels, and all workshops will take place in inclusive spaces.