Item 1 of 2 Badminton – BWF World Championships – Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi, India – August 18, 2026 Ukraine’s Yevheniia Kantemyr reacts during her Round of 64 women’s singles match against Germany’s Miranda Wilson REUTERS\/Bhawika Chhabra<\/p>\n
[1\/2]Badminton – BWF World Championships – Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi, India – August 18, 2026 Ukraine’s Yevheniia Kantemyr reacts during her Round of 64 women’s singles match against… Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab<\/a> Read more<\/p>\n NEW DELHI, Aug 19 (Reuters) – For Ukrainian shuttlers Polina Buhrova and Yevheniia Kantemyr, competing at the ongoing World Championships in New Delhi is \u200ba way to showcase the resilience of a country battling \u200cthe invasion by Russia.<\/p>\n Lives have been turned upside down since Russia launched its full-scale invasion<\/a> of Ukraine in 2022 and as for many of her compatriots, the conflict remains \u200ban everyday reality for Buhrova.<\/p>\n Sign up here.<\/a><\/p>\n “It’s still really, really bad,” the \u200bKharkiv-born player told reporters.<\/p>\n “It’s really hard, but that also gives \u2060me a lot of power and I’m really proud to represent my \u200bcountry as a fighter, and show how Ukraine is fighting, believing and \u200bgrowing.”<\/p>\n Buhrova said elite training had become impossible in Ukraine, forcing the national squad to find a base in Italy.<\/p>\n “When the war started, I was in Ukraine,” she said. “We \u200bwere practising under the bombs. An alarm would go and you needed \u200bto throw everything on the floor and run to the shelter.”<\/p>\n Her doubles partner Kantemyr, \u200cwho \u2060left Ukraine as a teenager and is also now based in Italy, said being able to compete internationally carried added significance.<\/p>\n “We’re happy that we can represent (Ukraine) at a high level and show good results and make \u200bthe country proud,” she \u200bsaid.<\/p>\n The International \u2060Olympic Committee (IOC) last month provisionally lifted its suspension<\/a> of the Russian Olympic Committee, a significant step towards Russia’s return ahead of \u200bthe 2028 Los Angeles Games.<\/p>\n Kantemyr called it “a big mistake” \u200bby \u2060the IOC, adding she held nothing personal against individual competitors.<\/p>\n IOC President Kirsty Coventry has said athletes should not be held accountable for the actions of \u2060their governments \u200band that the Olympic body would continue \u200bsupporting Ukraine while not condoning war.<\/p>\n The World Championships run through August 23 in New Delhi.<\/p>\n Writing \u200bby Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty and David Holmes<\/p>\n Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab<\/a><\/p>\n