Players draped in Ukrainian flags, aid pledges and placards demanding ‘No war’ and ‘United in peace’ as international sport turns blue and yellow in support of Ukraine.
Tennis star Novak Djokovic pledges financial support to Ukrainian tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky, who has joined the fight to protect his country from Russian invasion.
Stakhovsky, who beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2013, said last week he had joined Ukraine’s military reserves.
Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska is sorely short of a dream WTA title in Lyon, a week after escaping Russian bombings in her hometown of Odessa, but pledges to donate her prize to support his beleaguered compatriots.
World No. 140 Yastremska, who has draped the Ukrainian flag around her shoulders in every match, lost 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to 64th-placed Chinese Zhang Shuai in today’s final today.
Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine during a competition in Lyon, France, on March 5, 2022. (Olivier Chassignole/AFP)
“The prize that I win here, I will donate to the Ukrainian Foundation to support Ukraine,” the tearful 21-year-old told the crowd. “I tried to fight for Ukraine.”
The MotoGP racing championship displays the words ‘United for Peace’ during its televised broadcasts of the season-opening race in Qatar.
Several riders also wore a “Give Peace a Chance” sticker on their helmets.
The Manchester City football team, which has three Ukrainian players in its squad, wears white T-shirts with the Ukrainian flag and the slogan “No war”. The same message also appears on the black T-shirts worn by United players during the minute of applause.
In Spain, Real Madrid football display a Ukrainian flag with the message ‘All with Ukraine’ at their Santiago-Bernabeu stadium ahead of their game against Real Sociedad.
Several soccer clubs announce that they have made donations to charities. Bayern Munich donates 100,000 euros to SOS-Children’s Village in Ukraine.
In the American hockey league NHL, the Seattle Kraken franchise invites Ukrainian singer Roman Vashchuk to perform his country’s anthem before the game against Nashville, receiving a long standing ovation.
