So much more than sport

With around 15 tattoos across her arms neck and throat and a habit of wearing temporary tattoos on her face when playing, it's fair to say Oleksandra Oliynykova has a distinctive look. But she also has a fearsome will to win, and is knocking on the door of the top 50, in women's tennis. Born in Ukraine, when war broke out in 2014, she escaped to Croatia. It was there that her tennis career flourished. Now aged 25 she is back living and training in Ukraine, making her the only professional tennis player doing so. Oleksandra has been telling us she believes many more of her fellow players should be more vocal on the subject or the Ukraine war.

The Klitschko brothers Wladimir and Vitali, dominated the heavyweight boxing division during a period known simply as "the Klitschko era" When Vitali hung up his gloves in 2012 he entered another bruising profession. Politics. In 2014 Vitali was elected the Mayor of Kiev, a position he has held ever since. He has become a symbol of resistance and explained the daily struggles the people of the city of Kiev face

Karate has only ever been an Olympic discipline once. Perhaps unsurprisingly in Tokyo at the Games a few years ago. So to win an Olympic medal in the sport is an extremely rare event...So imagine working your whole life to win that and then to give it away! Well that's exactly what Stanislav Horuna did. A Bronze medalist in the "Kumite" 75 kg category within weeks he had auctioned it off to raise for finances to help Ukraine's war effort. Spring forward to 2026 and much to Stan's surprise he has been given his medal back. He's been explaining how.

When Shakhtar Donetsk won the UEFA Cup in 2009, it was meant to be the start of a new chapter for independent Ukraine. However, when war broke out in 2014, the team's ambitions were put on hold. The club captain, Darijo Srna, has been explaining how he and his family coped in the aftermath

Photo:Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine competes in the Billie Jean King Cup. April 11, 2026. (CREDIT: Marcin Golba/NurPhoto via Getty Images)