Ukrainian sumo wrestlers, whose training was interrupted by the war with Russia, took refuge from the war in Japan, the birthplace of the sport, to prepare for the World Games dedicated to sports not included in the Summer Olympics.

The six-amateur Ukrainian sumo team heads to the U.S. state of Alabama on Tuesday to take part in the World Games, hoping to return with gold medals.

The team had just finished training in Kharkiv when the war with Russia broke out in late February, resulting in the city being bombed.

An acquaintance organized a training camp in Japan away from the war to give the six wrestlers a chance to prepare for the games, and now the team is looking forward to competing in Birmingham, Alabama from July 7-17.

“Rockets are falling all over Ukraine, and things are falling everywhere,” said Ivana Berezovskaya, a silver medalist in the open weight category at the 2017 World Games and one of two women on the team.

She revealed her goals for participating in the World Games, saying, “First of all, I want to give myself something that will make me happy, and then I want to give people home something that will make them happy.”

Professionalism in sumo is limited only to Japan, but the ancient sport is popular at the amateur level all over the world, and about 3 thousand Ukrainians practice this game, which has made their country one of the most successful countries since the sport. was first included in the program of the World Games in 2005.

The Ukrainian team arrived in Japan at the end of May and set up training camps in the southern prefectures of Oita and Ehime.

The first training camp was in the Osa area, the birthplace of sumo legend Yokozuna Futabayama, who won 69 consecutive victories in the 1930s, a record that still stands today.

– “Always important for Ukrainians” –

Ukrainian coach Lyubov Korobko said her wrestlers are now ready for a “very important” World Games despite the turmoil caused by the war, stressing that “winning medals there (World Games) is always important for Ukrainians.”

“We have a lot of sumo wrestlers participating (in the games) and I think we can do our part and help raise the prestige of our country,” she added.

The World Games have been held every four years since 1981 and include a range of non-Olympic sports, from unfamiliar orienteering to billiards and bowling, as well as combat sports such as karate, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu or beach handball…

This edition was postponed from last year due to the corona virus pandemic and will be missing Russian and Belarusian athletes due to the invasion, but Lyubov Korobko believes that “sport and politics should not be confused”, adding: “I think there are many Russian athletes who oppose this war.”

She believed that the World Games would be “a good place for their athletes to share their views with us as friends and express their desire for peace.”

Coach Konstantin Korobko says his father founded the Ukrainian Sumo Federation in 1999 and helped generate interest in the sport, which he says has become “very popular.”

Korobko believes that sumo has a bright future in Ukraine, adding: “Of course, at first it was difficult for everyone to understand, but in fact the rules for young children are very simple.”