“Fair Play Begins with Knowledge”: Ukrainian Winter Sports Athletes Joined the National Platform’s Online Seminar

On October 14, the National Platform of Sports Integrity held the first in a series of three online seminars for representatives of Ukraine’s national teams in winter sports — freestyle skiing, alpine skiing, and cross-country skiing.
The event took place as part of an educational program preparing national teams for the XXV Olympic Winter Games 2026, which will be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

The seminar brought together athletes, coaches, and federation representatives who received up-to-date information on key integrity risks in modern sport.

The speakers included Nataliia Radchuk, Secretary of the National Platform for Sports Integrity, Andrii Nekrutov, expert of the Platform, and Sviatoslav Syrota, Head of the NGO “Play Fair”.

In their presentations, they outlined the main challenges athletes may face during international competitions, particularly risks related to illegal betting, external influence, and match manipulation. Special attention was given to examples of typical schemes through which athletes or teams may become involved in unfair practices — sometimes even unintentionally.

The speakers emphasized that awareness and vigilance among athletes and coaches are the key defenses against such threats.

This seminar marked part of the National Platform’s systematic efforts to build a culture of fair play in Ukraine, where sporting results are determined by skill, effort, and strength of spirit — not by manipulation or outside interference.