With EuroVolley in sight, Vasyl Tupchii’s main wish is for peace to return

A few days ago, with Estonia and France playing the opening match of CEV EuroVolley 2023 Women in Tallinn, we could spot a large Ukrainian delegation watching from the stands – as their men’s national team is currently staying in the Estonian capital for a training camp ahead of the EuroVolley campaign starting later this month in Varna, Bulgaria. We had the opportunity to catch up with their outside hitter Vasyl Tupchii to have a better understanding of what their lives look like under the current circumstances and what they hope to achieve at EuroVolley.  

“I have not been at home for almost two years,” Vasyl says. “We are constantly moving from hotel to hotel, and basically we have been living out of our suitcases. Last year, when things escalated, my wife drove with our kids to France where I was playing at the time. I spent the past season in Krakow playing for Barkom-Kazhany LVIV in the Polish national league, but after staying with me for some months, my family returned home. It is obviously difficult to deal with the current situation from an emotional standpoint – however, when you think of what the daily lives of our friends and family members look like there in Ukraine, you understand that we are somehow privileged to be able to play Volleyball and to still train and compete,” Vasyl says.  

The physically imposing outside hitter is a key pillar of the strongest team Ukraine has been able to put together in 30 years or so. “That is true – and this is the result of the work and efforts made by our pool of coaches. They have been working hard for many years to lay the foundation for our team to become as competitive as we are now.”  

Ukraine finished seventh at last year’s World Championship after historically reaching the quarterfinals and earlier this season won European Golden League silver before finishing third at the FIVB Challenger Cup in Qatar. “After playing in Doha, we did fly to Latvia to work there for some time before coming to Estonia. Our next stop is Poland and from there we will go to the EuroVolley pool in Varna,” Vasyl continues.  “We know also through social media that very many people back home in Ukraine are following us and they cheer us on – and they tell us how important our victories are to boost their morale. This is heart-warming – we obviously enjoy playing Volleyball but doing it for our homeland has a special meaning these days. With the help of some private investors, Volleyball is still alive even under these difficult circumstances. We would not be able to be here if it was not for their support, since at this stage the state and government obviously have other priorities to address.” 

Vasyl will stay in Poland for another season after he finishes his duties with the national team. “We must move to another place, outside of Krakow, because living there has become quite expensive. However, EuroVolley comes first. We are extremely grateful to our friends from many countries across Europe for their readiness to host and support us. Our first goal is to make it out of the group stage in Varna and we will fight with everything we have to achieve this objective. After that, we will see what we can achieve as the competition progresses. I am very fortunate to play internationally and to represent Ukraine. The level of our team has certainly grown after many of us went to play abroad and gained much needed experience at a higher level and in a highly competitive national league. In the longer term, when I retire from competitive sport, I wish to stay in Volleyball and to pass on my total love for the game to the next generations – as a coach or maybe by opening my own Volleyball academy back home in Ukraine. My only wish right now, however, is for peace to return – not only in Ukraine but for the whole world.”  

A wish anyone on this planet would share as well.