Features of the functioning of the physical culture and sports sector in ukraine during the period of militaryaggression 2014-2025

Abstract

Introduction. Until 2014, physical culture and sports in Ukraine were developed in accordance with the Law «On Physical Culture and Sports» (1994, updated in 2012), which defined the principles of activity, financing, and development at the local level. The main objectives were to improve the health of the population, increase sporting achievements, and enhance the country’s international prestige. Until 2022, Ukrainian teams regularly participated in European and world championships, as well as the Olympic, Paralympic, and Deaflympic Games. However, after the end of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Russia launched a full-scale invasion, forcing a review of state policy, particularly in the field of physical culture and sports. The purpose of the study is to identify internal and external factors that influence the functioning of the physical culture and sports industry in Ukraine in conditions of active military operations, as well as ways for its post-war recovery. Research methods: theoretical research methods were used: study, generalization, and systematization of data from literary sources and information from the Internet, abstraction, analysis, and synthesis. Results. The main reason for revising the concept of physical culture and sports development in Ukraine was the emergence of a number of problems: air raid alerts, which complicate the holding of events; suspension of programs for 2022–2023; destruction of sports infrastructure; loss of human potential (death and injury of athletes and coaches); lack of facilities in areas of internal migration; departure of specialists abroad; restrictions on all-Ukrainian competitions and suspension of international competitions; resistance of some international organizations to the isolation of Russia and Belarus. Conclusions. The field of physical culture and sports in Ukraine is currently undergoing a transformation caused by internal challenges and external circumstances– from the hybrid war that began in 2014 to the full-scale invasion in 2022. Current conditions require stronger state regulation, optimization of management mechanisms, improvement of the regulatory framework, and effective interaction between the state, the public, business, and local authorities