“It’s hard to be happy when there is human sorrow right next to us,” said Polish top ski jumper Kamil Stoch after Saturday’s tournament in Lahti. Satisfying jumps and gaining the most points for the Polish team did not free his mind from the situation in Ukraine. Quite the opposite, he decided to show his support to Ukrainians even on his skis.
Today (Sunday, the 27th), Kamil Stoch decided to support his words by also writing “Stop War! Better fight in sport!” on his skis. He also chose the colours of his suit and coat to represent the Ukrainian flag [look here].
“It’s hard to be happy and put hands up in joy when behind the fence there’s so much harm. Sport should be free of politics, but as sportsmen, we cannot close our eyes to human sorrow. We cannot turn our backs and pretend nothing is happening”, Stoch said.
Dawid Kubacki, who placed the highest among Polish jumpers in today’s individual ski jumping contest (7th place), seconded his words.
“This war is unnecessary and we have to condemn it. Personally, I’m a realist and I think that mere words won’t help Ukraine, we need to take action. I do agree with the message and I think the same way. We just need to end the war as soon as possible, people are dying. Hard to enjoy the competition when you’re constantly following what’s happening”, summed up Kubacki.
You can watch the interview with Kamil Stoch ⤵️