Honor Phillips, executive producer for Ukraine Story, spoke with Anastasia Klipachenko, a champion Futsal and Beach Soccer athlete from Ukraine. Anastasia spoke about what it means for Ukrainians and the Ukrainian athletic community to be represented at the Paris 2024 Olympics, in the midst of a full scale war with Russia. The Paris 2024 Olympics had some incredible moments and stories, one of the most remarkable was that of team Ukraine. They trained and prepared for the Olympics in incredibly difficult circumstances. Since Russia’s full scale invasion, their gyms and facilities have been bombed, 480+ of Ukraine’s athletes have been killed, and every one of them deals with the realty of death and destruction in their country on a daily basis. And yet the story of Ukrainian athletes participating on the world stage is one of courage, hope, and resilience in the face of incredible odds. They are embodying an attitude of never giving up, and seeking nothing less than victory.