On the 6th of March, a solemn ceremony took place in Kyiv to hand over judogi sets to the participants of the Olympic Dreams international sports camps project from the All Japan Judo Federation with the participation of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine Matsuda Kuninori. 

“Ukrainian young athletes are not only the face of the nation, but also the embodiment of strength, dedication and will to win. Japan is proud to support talented athletes from the affected regions of Ukraine, as their achievements are the source of true willpower and responsibility for the future. We stand by the Ukrainian youth, supporting their courage and perseverance in the fight for their dreams, even in the most difficult times of war,” said Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine Matsuda Kuninori.

The ceremony was also attended by distinguished guests from the Ukrainian side, including Mykhailo Rudenko, vice president of the Ukrainian Judo Federation and state coach of the Ukrainian national judo team, Karen Balayan, member of the NOC of Ukraine in Kyiv region, honoured judo coach of Ukraine, Oleksandra Starkova, international master of sports of Ukraine, honoured judo coach of Ukraine, and Oleksandra Novikova, CEO of the Olympic Dreams project and co-founder of “The Future for Children”. 

“Our Olympic Dreams project has existed since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. During this time, our team has managed to organise sports camps in various sports in Israel, Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Slovakia and Japan. It is important for our young athletes to feel the support of their foreign friends, who have not stood aside and continue to actively help them. We are sincerely grateful to the All Japan Judo Federation and personally to Mr Ambassador for their huge contribution to the preservation of the Ukrainian Olympic reserve,” said project CEO Oleksandra Novikova.

The Olympic Dreams international sports camps project is implemented by “The Future for Children” Charitable Foundation, at the initiative of the foundation's patron Anatoliy Boyko. The project is aimed at developing such sports as judo, football, handball, fencing, rhythmic gymnastics, taekwondo, karate and other olympic sports.