– Leoland has recently hosted many tennis tournaments. Tell us about the successes of Lviv athletes over the past year, how much interest in tennis has increased in Lviv?
– Since the opening of Leoland, tennis courts in Lviv have been quite active, with attendance and interest in tennis lessons increasing significantly. Leoland operates a tennis school called Leosport, where 140 children are regularly trained, and I can say that we have already had some success – Lviv athletes have improved their results at the Ukrainian tennis championships.
Our task is to develop a love of tennis in many cities of Ukraine. Now we have a great base in Lviv and we can take children from all over the country. We have children from Kharkiv, Odesa, Kyiv who were forced to leave their homes because of the war. We are actively working with children from families of Ukraine’s defenders, who now need special attention and support, especially in psychological terms. Leoland has repeatedly organized theatrical performances, excursions, and competitions. We try to respond quickly to the needs of charitable foundations in Lviv region to support children, and we understand how important this is for our country today. Recently, Leoland was visited by famous tennis stars Elina Svitolina and Sergiy Stakhovsky, and we agreed to cooperate and will soon hold two summer tennis camps. It will be a training camp where children will have the opportunity to develop their tennis skills and get a great mood and energy boost.
– Leoland is developing many areas besides sports. What locations can be opened in the educational, sports and entertainment center in the near future?
– Our goal is to develop young people in such a difficult time for the country. The main goal of Leoland is the comprehensive development of children and youth. We strive to create a place where children and parents will have warm and sincere emotions from visiting the center. We have recently opened a new scientific and creative STEAM space for active and creative children. Our specialists will teach English, open the fascinating world of chemistry and teach young guests to develop their creativity. They will work with children aged 2 to 13. Therefore, we are happy to welcome parents with their children to Leoland.
(Scientific and creative STEAM space in Leoland)
– You have recently been named one of the top 10 investors in sports development in Lviv region. In a difficult time for the country, you continue to develop and invest in this area. How do you manage to accumulate forces and finances to get involved in sports now?
– You know, I am a devoted sports fan. I am very fond of water polo, swimming, and tennis, and we are trying to actively develop these sports. Of course, in the current conditions of war, we need not only to restore sports infrastructure but also to create a new one. This is very difficult at the moment, because we are in the active phase of the war. I want to see a lot of investors in the country who are ready to unite for the sake of sports. We are currently working and developing the water field, it is a complex issue – we need to build a base of swimming pools across the country, but we are moving in this direction, and I believe that soon there will be many locations for water polo and swimming in Ukraine. As for tennis, the situation has changed dramatically. For example, in Lviv, since the Leoland courts started operating, we have seen a great interest among children and adults in this sport, many competitions have been held at the WRC, and now athletes have the opportunity to play tennis all year round, because the courts are open. In addition, we try to work actively in other areas – we have started to develop sports dancing. There is an excellent gym for sports dancing and excellent specialists who work with young athletes.
Sport unites people of all ages and from different countries. And I am sure that it is through sports that many messages can be conveyed to the world community.
But of course, I dream of many victories in the international arena under our blue and yellow flag.
