The Ukrainian Golf Federation, in collaboration with both EDGA and the Bavarian Golf Federation, united in Munich, Germany to initiate a rehabilitation programme for military veterans and civilians with amputations in Ukraine through golf.
On April 11-12, EDGA’s Head of Instruction & Education Mark Taylor, GolfWay representative Nick Horrocks, and amputee PGA of Germany golf coach Kerstin Schultz gathered at the Open9 Eichenried Golf Club.
The visit provided training to a team of Ukrainian specialists to further support the rehabilitation of individuals with amputations.
Valentyn Vodolazskyi, a beneficiary representative and amputee golfer who has found a new sense of purpose in life through golf. He plans to become an advocate for golf among other individuals with amputations and received training from the EDGA team to facilitate introducer sessions back in the Ukraine.
Valentyn is a civilian war victim who suffered multiple injuries and lost a limb during the evacuation from Popasna (Luhansk region). He has been without a home for nearly two years, living with his mother and brother in a small container in a modular camp for internally displaced persons. The cramped space prevents him from performing daily exercises necessary to maintain muscle strength. Golf serves as a lifeline for him in navigating life’s challenges and his ongoing rehabilitation.
The attending Ukrainian team included specialists responsible for all aspects of the rehabilitation process:
– Alena Tereshchuk, General Secretary and board member of the Ukrainian Golf Federation (UGF).
– Olga Blokhina, head of inclusive and rehabilitative golf development at UGF, board member who leads the rehabilitation golf program for war victims and military veterans with disabilities in Ukraine.
– Tetyana Rybchenko, a board member of the Ukrainian Golf Federation and owner of Cosmosgolf Ukraine, joined the delegation as an expert in providing necessary equipment support for participants of the rehabilitation programme.
– Denys Ryabtsev, a member of PGA Ukraine and Head of the Disciplinary Committee, as well as Golf Director of Eden Golf Club, joined the delegation as an expert responsible for organizing and conducting ongoing localised training sessions and providing educational resources.
– Olena Kvitoslava Yatskiv, an employee of the Superhumans Prosthetics Center, joined the team and will provide project support, supervision and social integration for amputees in the post-prosthetic period.
Due to certain travel restrictions for other golf professionals during Ukraine’s challenging times, it was decided to develop the training provision into two stages. The attending group will disseminate this knowledge among other coaches by organizing local training seminars in Ukraine under the remote guidance of EDGA’s Mark Taylor.