In Zaporizhzhia, the second season of the “Children physical rehabilitation through swimming” project, which took place on the initiative of Denys Sylantiev, sportsman and public figure, and financially supported by Metinvest Group and Zaporizhstal, has been completed in Zaporizhzhia. During 2022-2023, 350 children from the families of military staff, displaced people, and single-parent families took part in the project. All training sessions for program participants were free due to the support of the Company.
“Childhood is a short time, fleeting moment that should be carefree by default. The full-scale war has become the most difficult challenge for our children, and we understand that it is necessary to implement projects aimed at mitigating the traumatic impact in the future. Sports, especially swimming, is an effective tool for the rehabilitation and social integration of children, relieving stress and restoring the nervous system. Therefore, for the second year in a row, Metinvest and Zaporizhstal have been funding Denys Sylantiev’s rehabilitation program for children through swimming. I am convinced that this practice should be scaled up to the whole of Ukraine,” said Roman Slobodyanyuk, CEO of Zaporizhstal, Metinvest Group.
The final lesson of the project’s season ended with an open training session and a masterclass from Denys Sylantiev. Denys Sylantiev and Yuliia Laputina, Minister for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, who visited the project’s training base during her working visit to the region, presented the diplomas to the participants of the physical rehabilitation program. Yuliia Laputina emphasized that such motivating and at the same time relaxing projects are especially needed in front-line cities, such as Zaporizhzhia.
The project “Children’s Physical Rehabilitation through Swimming” provides physical and health rehabilitation through swimming for children most affected by the war. The program includes rehabilitation and adaptation techniques developed by Denys Sylantiev, a Ukrainian famous swimmer and 2000 Olympic medalist. Sessions within the program contribute to the normalization of children’s condition due to motor activity, learning new things, positive emotions, and useful employment. Metinvest and Zaporizhstal allocated almost UAH 700,000 to support the project.
As a reminder, the first stage of the “Children Physical Rehabilitation by Swimming” project was held in Zaporizhzhia in 2022. As part of the project, 235 children with mental trauma learned different swimming styles and improved their mental state. The second stage of the project was attended by 121 children from internally displaced families, military families, and single-parent families, children who lost their parents in the war. The program was, as before, coached by Serhiy Proniaiev, an honored swimming coach from Ukraine.