The results and plans of Metinvest and Denys Sylantiev's "Free Waves" rehabilitation project were discussed during a meeting at the "Veteran PRO. Zaporizhzhia" hub.
Recreational swimming training sessions for Ukrainian defenders and veterans have been running for almost a year as part of the "Free Waves" rehabilitation project.
This project was launched by Denys Sylantiev, a Zaporizhzhia sportsman and Olympic medallist. Financial support for the "Free Waves" project in Zaporizhzhia is provided by Metinvest in coordination with Zaporizhstal and the NGO "Zaporizhzhia. Platform for Joint Action".
Thanks to financing of this socially important project by a responsible business, defenders can attend training sessions for free. Over the course of this year, nearly 300 swimming training sessions were held for more than a hundred veterans and active military personnel.
Every participant in the "Free Waves" project received an individual programme developed specifically for them depending on the nature of their injuries. The participants share their feedback.
"The first sessions were tough for me, but the coach adapted everything to my needs and now I feel better, more resilient. This is like a new useful habit – swimming. Now I am on the mend, and swimming facilitates this, so everything will be fine," says Vitalii, a "Free Waves" participant.
Mr Serhii came to the sessions in November last year after a severe injury.
"I tried to attend the training sessions regularly. That is why the results are obvious now. I came in the autumn of last year on crutches and my first sessions lasted around 15 minutes, but now I can easily swim for 45 minutes.
I feel that I have more strength, and my body is recovering. Before, I considered swimming more like a leisure activity, something entertaining, but now I see that water really heals," noted Serhii RULKOV, a "Free Waves" participant.
Besides physical recovery, the project helps to improve mental health ‒ a psychologist works with participants directly in the pool. Veterans actively join this project. There are so many people willing to take part, that the organisers are already looking for additional swimming pools for training sessions in Zaporizhzhia.
"During the meeting with veterans, we discussed the importance of further development of such initiatives. Participants emphasised: it is essential to utilise the already available infrastructure ‒ particularly swimming pools ‒ to create more opportunities for rehabilitation of veterans and active military personnel. We discussed plans for scaling up the project, new partnerships, and the next steps to help more people by providing them with access to a safe, effective, and supportive environment for recovery," said Denys SYLANTIEV, the author of the "Free Waves" project methodology, volunteer, and Olympic swimming medallist.
The Sport, Family, and Youth Department of Zaporizhzhia City Council is also helping to scale up the project. They plan to hold swimming training sessions in two public pools by autumn.
"In the future, we are considering having two more pools join the project, which would provide greater coverage of veterans. Currently, we are carrying out preparatory work to make our municipal pools operate year-round, because they currently work seasonally, as their water heating system depends on the heating season in the city," explained Pavlo BLANK, Director of the Sport, Family, and Youth Department of Zaporizhzhia City Council.
With Metinvest's support, the "Free Waves" project is working successfully in Kryvyi Rih. In the near future, a similar programme will start in Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk region. Preparatory work is currently in progress there to install an elevator for people in wheelchairs.
The "Free Waves" rehabilitation project for veterans and active military personnel in Zaporizhzhia has been extended until the end of 2025. This successful experience, according to the participants at the meeting at the "Veteran PRO. Zaporizhzhia" hub, needs to be rolled out across the whole of Ukraine.
"Today, it is necessary to scale the project in such a way as to cover all those who want to participate and those who need it, and to prepare the foundation for when our boys and girls start coming back, so that we can embrace them all without exception, so that no one is told that we lack pools, tracks, coaches, etc. It is very important to make preparations now in order to understand tomorrow how to move forward," concluded Mykhailo PYROH, Director of the "Veteran PRO. Zaporizhzhia" hub.
As a reminder, free rehabilitation swimming training sessions take place three times a week in Zaporizhzhia. To start training, it is enough to provide a document confirming combatant status.
