From wound to victory: is Ukraine ready for systematic rehabilitation of veterans through sport

On April 16, 2026, the National University of Physical Education and Sport of Ukraine hosted an open expert meeting
“From wound to victory: is Ukraine ready for a new rehabilitation system?”, which was not merely a discussion platform but an attempt to shape a shared vision of the future model of adaptive sport and rehabilitation in Ukraine.

The event brought together representatives of state institutions, the relevant ministries, the academic and educational community, the national Olympic university, civil society organisations, the sporting community, rehabilitation centres and the veterans themselves — the people for whom this system is meant to work in the first place.

The full-scale war has fundamentally changed the social structure of Ukrainian society. Thousands of service members are returning to civilian life with injuries — both physical and psychological. In this context, rehabilitation ceases to be a narrow medical topic and becomes a question of national resilience.

Adaptive sport plays a far wider role in this process than mere physical activity. It is an instrument of physical recovery, psycho-emotional stabilisation, social integration and the forming of a new identity after injury

The main challenge, however, voiced repeatedly during the meeting, is the lack of a system.

Opening the event, Viktor Korzh, director of the training and rehabilitation centre of the National University of Physical Education and Sport, immediately outlined the key problem: Ukraine already has plenty of initiatives, but they remain fragmented.

“Physical and sports rehabilitation and adaptive sport are an extremely important social component that must serve the recovery and social integration of our wounded veterans.
This requires an individual approach, professional medical support and attention to each person's state of health.
Only then will these tools truly do good and not harm.
Sport and physical rehabilitation are powerful tools that must rest on deep knowledge and responsibility, and only then will they truly do good and not harm.”

His point set the tone for the whole discussion: this is not about creating new separate projects but about building a coherent ecosystem.

Particular attention was paid to the role of education in shaping this system.
The acting rector of the National University of Physical Education and Sport of Ukraine – Olha Borysova stressed the strategic importance of training specialists.

“Today universities must go beyond classical education and become centres where a new rehabilitation system takes shape.
We are talking about training specialists who will work at the intersection of sport, medicine and psychology.
It is precisely such people who will ensure the quality and safety of veterans' recovery.”

This approach underlines that the problem of adaptive sport is not only organisational but also one of personnel. Without systematic training of specialists, even the best programmes cannot work effectively.

An important part of the discussion was the analysis of the experience of the United States and Israel — countries with many years of practice in working with veterans.

Artem Honcharenko, head of the KNUBA Institute of Rehabilitation, Reintegration and Professional Development “Architecture of Resilience”, stressed that the key difference of these systems is how integrated they are.

“In the United States and Israel, adaptive sport does not exist separately — it is built into state rehabilitation policy.
It is part of a continuous process: from the hospital to a full return to society.
For Ukraine it matters not simply to borrow the experience but to embed it correctly in its own system.”

In effect, this is a shift from “help after the injury” to a model of “accompanying the person at every stage of recovery”.

One of the strongest moments of the meeting was the address by veteran Vadym Honcharenko, who shared his own experience of competing internationally.

“Adaptive sport is not only about physical recovery.
It is about regaining faith in yourself, about being able to feel in control of your life again.
It was through sport that I was able to find new motivation and return to an active life.”

His words in effect confirmed what the experts had been saying: the effectiveness of a system is measured not by the number of programmes but by changes in the lives of particular people.

The meeting's participants also included: the head of Ukraine's Sports Committee – Illia Shevliak, the head of the physical and mental health department of Ukraine's Ministry of Veterans Affairs – Viacheslav Chernenko, and other guests who took an active part in the discussion. 

One of the meeting's main conclusions was the need for genuine cooperation between the state, educational institutions, business and civil society organisations. Without such interaction, the adaptive sport system will remain fragmented and will not be able to deliver a lasting effect.

The meeting at the National University of Physical Education and Sport showed that Ukraine already has an understanding of the problem and all the key players needed to solve it. The next step, however, is to consolidate efforts so that veterans can return to a full life.

Adaptive sport today is not only about physical activity. It is about a new social policy, about bringing people back to life, about the state's ability to answer the challenges of war.

And the main question left after the event:
will Ukraine be able to unite all these efforts into a single system that works not in isolated cases but for every veteran?

The answer depends not on words but on the decisions taken in the near future.

We also draw your attention to the start of the admissions campaign 

Admissions 2026: A new profession — a new path after service

The KNUBA Institute of Veterans opens Admissions 2026 for veterans, defenders and their families. Those with UBD status are admitted without the NMT examination, on the basis of an interview. 

12 universities. Over 100 fields of study, online and in-person formats, support all the way to employment. 

This is the step from service to a new profession. Details: www.veterano.info (http://www.veterano.info/)

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