GoFundMe set up for Ukrainian softball team to play in Surrey’s Canada Cup

A junior softball team in Ukraine is asking for help getting to Surrey to play in the Canada Cup this summer.

The war in Ukraine has made it extremely challenging for the country to financially support its athletes to participate on the world stage, and according to event organizers, the team doesn’t have enough money to make the trip.

“The Ukrainian team has tried to its best to stick together throughout the war, but because of the consistent threat of attacks in Kyiv, many of these brave young women have been forced to leave their families behind and flee to the Czech Republic and Poland. Representing their country at the Canada Cup will also allow the team to fully reunite and get back to the sport they love,” a news release reads.

Greg Timm, the chairman of the Canada Cup softball committee, says the Ukrainian Women’s Junior National Softball Team was accepted to play in the tournament, and a fundraiser has been set up to help get them to Surrey.

“We’ve sort of had our moments here to say, ‘Wait a minute, this seems bigger than a sport, this seems to be something that transcends sport a little bit with such a heart-wrenching world event going on,” he said.

Timm says when he heard the team didn’t have the funds, his organizing committee stepped up to help.

“Their government wanted to use this as sort of an inspirational story to their local kids to say here there’s life after war. and they came back…two or three weeks ago and said we just can’t get the money so we have to pull out,” Timm explained.

“Our understanding is the team has a great deal of enthusiasm and has a great desire to represent their country – so we are going to make it happen.”

In a video posted online, the team’s coach shared a hopeful message about coming to participate.

“I hope that we get the opportunity to come to Surrey and play to represent our country,” Coach Vasyl Kysil said.

“Nothing unites people like sports and we are thrilled to be coming to Canada to compete in this world-class tournament.”

The championship is set to run from July 7 to 16 at Softball City in Surrey and more than 1,500 athletes are set to play.

The GoFundMe‘s goal is $60,000 and just nearly $4,500 money has been raised as of Monday afternoon.

With files from Emily Marsten