Ukrainian boxer Maksym Galinichev, a medalist at the Summer Youth Olympic Games, has been killed in Ukraine’s war against Russia at the age of 22.
Galinichev was reportedly serving for Ukraine’s 25th Sycheslav Airborne Brigade in the Luhansk region where he died.
It is reported that the boxer had been fighting in the war since May 2022 and had refused to take part in this year’s European Boxing Confederation (EUBC) Men’s European Boxing Championships in Armenia last May to focus on helping his country in battle.
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych took to social media to post a message about Galinichev following his death, saying “glory to hero”.
Galinichev claimed a silver medal in the under-56 kilogram category at the Buenos Aires 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games.
That year also saw Galinichev win gold at the EUBC European Youth Boxing Championships before going on to compete internationally in senior events.
Galinichev is one of a number of Ukrainian athletes that have died in battle since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February last year.
The Boxing Federation of Ukraine (FBU) refused to send athletes to the International Boxing Association (IBA) Women’s World Championships here due to the presence of Russian and Belarusian boxers.
FBU vice-president Oleg Ilchenko has told Ukranian news website Suspilne Sport that his boxers would not compete on the same stage as athletes from the “aggressor countries”.
The IBA, led by Russian official Umar Kremlev, lifted a ban on boxers from Russia and Belarus competing under their own flag last October despite the International Olympic Committee’s recommendations to the contrary because of the war in Ukraine.
Russian and Belarusian athletes have been largely banned from competing in international events due to the war in Ukraine but the International Olympic Committee is considering readmitting them as neutrals.
The move has sparked anger in Ukraine, with the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine threatening to boycott Paris 2024 if athletes from Russia and Belarus are permitted.
Source: insidethegames
