Last year, the renovated children’s and youth sports school of water sports «Sadko» should have celebrated its 50th anniversary. Instead, the facility met its birthday with breached walls, a dry pool, and under occupation.
The Severodonetsk "Sadko" pool was destroyed by the Russians / photo collage of Severodonetsk CMA and Luhansk RMA
Two months before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Severodonetsk sports community and all the townspeople celebrated a significant event: on December 15, 2021, the swimming pool of the «Sadko» children’s and youth sports school was opened after major repairs. The reconstruction continued as part of the implementation of the «Big Construction» program and was carried out with the funds of the local budget and the State Fund for Regional Development.
«Sadko» swimming pool after reconstruction
Photo: Severodonetsk city military administration
Conditions were created for water sports for up to 30 athletes / photo: Severodonetsk city military administration
Reconstruction was carried out for about five months according to modern world standards using high-quality materials. The level of the material and technical base of the sports school after the completed works allowed it to hold events not only at the city, regional, or state level but also at the international level.
«Sadko» school was the only place in the region where underwater sports — swimming in flippers and underwater orientation — were performed. Before the «demilitarization» of Luhansk oblast, 206 sportsmen were engaged in «Sadko», the best of whom represented the region at all-Ukrainian, European and world competitions, where they were repeatedly winners and prize-winners.
On March 8 of last year, during the «holiday demilitarization» shelling of Severodonetsk by the Russian occupiers, a shell hit the roof of the sports school — a fire broke out in the gym on the second floor. According to the available information, looters also actively «worked» in the building.
«At the time of the first shellings, the walls and roof were damaged. The current state of the building and the pool basin is not known,» Anton Volokhov, the head of the youth and sports department of the Luhansk military administration, says to «Vchasno».
On July 15, 2022, the children’s and youth sports school of water sports «Sadko» should celebrate its 50th anniversary with a new face. Instead, the facility met its birthday with breached walls, a dry pool, and under occupation.
«Sadko» swimming pool after shelling / photo: Luhansk regional military administration