Vasyl Kostyuk supported the Ukrainian karate team at the record-breaking World Championship
Vasyl Kostyuk is a businessman and philanthropist who has been supporting the development of karate in Ukraine for over three years
Фото: karate.ua
The Ukrainian karate team won a record eight medals at the World Championships among cadets, juniors and U21 athletes, held from October 14 to 18 in Bielsko-Biała, Poland. This is reported on the official website of the Ukrainian Karate Federation.
The Ukrainians won one gold, three silver and four bronze medals, placing eighth in the overall medal standings. This is Ukraine’s best result in the history of its participation in the Youth World Championships.
Ulyana Baranova became world champion in the U21 under-68 kg category. Mark Dorosh, Vladyslav Rudenko and Nikita Dmytrenko won silver medals. Charlize Kruglova, Ivan Matsenko, Veronika Kotenko and Vladyslav Kanivets became bronze medalists.
The preparation and participation of the youth team in the World Championships were financed by the Ukrainian Karate Federation with the support of businessman Vasyl Kostiuk.
According to the head coach of Ukraine’s youth team, Dmytro Nehaturоv, this time the athletes, their parents and coaches did not spend their own money to participate in the season’s main event.
"Starting with the training camp at the Olympic base in Koncha-Zaspa and including the costs of travel to and accommodation in Poland, everything was financed by the Federation with the support of Vasyl Kostiuk," Nehaturоv said.
After the championships, Kostiuk also awarded bonuses to the medalists and their coaches. The athlete received $4,000 for a gold medal, $3,000 for a silver medal and $2,000 for a bronze medal. The coaches of each medalist received $1,000 each.
More than 2,000 athletes from 114 countries took part in the World Championships.
The success in Poland continued one of the best seasons in the history of Ukrainian youth karate. In February, the Ukrainian team won the overall medal standings at the European Championships for the first time, winning 13 medals.
Earlier, Vasyl Kostiuk paid cash bonuses to Ukrainian athletes who won medals at the fourth stage of the Youth League (2026 Karate One Youth League). The competition took place from July 2 to 5 in the Croatian city of Poreč.
Background
Vasyl Kostiuk is a Ukrainian businessman, restaurateur and philanthropist who has supported the development of karate in Ukraine for more than three years. In particular, he fully finances Ukraine’s children’s karate team—an initiative unique in children’s sports in Eastern Europe. Vasyl Kostiuk also provides financial support for the implementation of other projects aimed at developing Ukrainian karate and supporting athletes.