Comments on: Ukraine | Near Chernobyl, the ‘football forest’ designed to radiate life

By: Roel

Roel — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 18:49:49 +0000

I am a journalist from Holland and I will travel in december to Kiev. I am very interested if there was football played in het stadium of Pripyat and on which level. Was it popular? Was it professional? And what happened with the players? The stadium? Thank you very much for any information!!

Friendly greeting, Roel Wiche (Netherlands Press Association – GPD)

By: chornobyl

chornobyl — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:46:21 +0000

In Chernobyl not all so terrible. The natural rehabilitation process [has reduced] the negative radio-ecological consequences of nuclear accident. Information about the present situation in Chernobyl alienation zone can be found on the website http://www.chornobyl.in.ua.

By: The Global Game | Far west of the Carpathians, Ukraine unites

The Global Game | Far west of the Carpathians, Ukraine unites — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 01:56:02 +0000

[...] a tragic chronology that made Ukraine in the 20th century a ground zero for human suffering. (See Apr 29 on the connections between football and the Chernobyl nuclear [...]

By: Pitch Invasion » Links » It’s in the (inter)net! April 30

Pitch Invasion » Links » It’s in the (inter)net! April 30 — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:06:45 +0000

[...] Football at Chernobyl [The Global Game] [...]

By: John Turnbull

John Turnbull — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:37:37 +0000

Thanks very much for your kind remarks and for the first-person recollections of a historic spring and summer. A toast to the memory of playing euphorically!

By: Taras

Taras — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:24:55 +0000

Thank you so much for your humanistic perspective on Ukrainian football through the historical prism of Chernobyl!

Not much football was played in Kyiv in 1986. In Prypyat, not much would be played ever since 1986. Still, Dynamo Kyiv went on to win the 1986 Cup Winners’ Cup. In this regard, the year 1986 was a bittersweet one.

Even though I’m not much of a football fan anymore, I remember playing with my friends at my parents’ hometown of Korets, Rivne oblast. We would watch the 1986 FIFA World Cup and then would go outside and play in a state of euphoria. We also watched the 1986 Goodwill Games. I did not return to Kyiv until late fall.

Once again, thank you! Thank you for your avid interest in Ukrainian football and your uniquely context-rich perspective. And thank you for incorporating my memories into your story.

Ukraine needs more voices like yours!