Ukraine: 7 million euros to build a national tennis center despite the war?
Generally speaking, all the country's money has been invested in the military to allow Ukrainian soldiers to defend their land at all costs since the beginning of the war on February 24, 2022. The decision to allocate a budget of several million to tennis had raised eyebrows at the time, while the entire country, and not just in the field of sports, must be rebuilt in the coming years. Indeed, according to the figures, the money used to rebuild the tennis courts could have been used to purchase about 2,300 drones that would have been useful for the Ukrainian army.
"Funding for tennis courts must be banned"
"It is unacceptable to carry out major repairs on tennis courts while Ukraine is at war. This money is needed for the armed forces: ammunition, first aid kits, drones, weapons, food... It's about preserving the Ukrainian nation.
Funding for the repair of tennis courts must be prohibited. You know, I communicate with our military almost every day, and all they talk about is the need for pick-ups, spare parts... the list is long. When I hear about 7 million euros, my mind automatically calculates how many of these needs could serve our military.
Personally, I support the idea of modern sports facilities, but spending such an amount of money at this time just doesn't seem appropriate to me," Ukrainian activist Maria Barabash stated in 2024.
Find the full investigation "The impact of the war on tennis in Ukraine" in the coming days. It will be available the weekend of November 29.
