A table tennis club that brought together people with disabilities, children and all the other hromada residents was launched in Storozhynetska AH.

The table tennis club is located in the sports hall of the new local school. It was created and is being actively developed by the local sports activist Vladyslav Dobrydin. Concerned hromada residents and authorities are trying their best to help.

Vladyslav’s spine was injured and that “chained” him to a wheelchair at the age of 20. He is originally from Belarus and moved to his wife’s homeland – Chernivtsi Oblast – about 7 years ago. He says he immediately started to get around people interested in sports, including table tennis.

He found the like-minded friends very quickly. At first, fans of the game met at a local sports school, and then decided to start an NGO and involve as many people as possible, especially children.

Various authorities decided to assist the initiators of the table tennis club creation. The leaders of the Storozhynetska AH found premises in a recently renovated local school and allocated money to purchase the sports equipment.

In addition, Vladyslav Dobrydin's NGO won one of the U-LEAD with Europe projects and purchased a professional table for the club.

Not only people who know how to play, but also children or adults willing to learn, began to enroll in the newly established tennis club.

“My club is inclusive, but it's open for everyone. Table tennis is a game that allows everyone to play at one level,” Mr Dobrydin said.

Vladyslav’s friend Ivan Vasylovych helps him to train children.

“In fact, it's a good way to get kids involved in sports. So that they do not walk in the streets of the city, but come to our table tennis club and play this game,” adds Ivan Vasylovych.

The Storozhynetska urban AH is the largest in the Chernivtsi Oblast and one of the largest in Ukraine. In includes 16 settlements with more than 38 thousand inhabitants. The administrative centre of the hromada is the city of Storozhynets. The AH is located at the foot of the Carpathians and was formed in September 2016.

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