Olympic Boxing Club Galway is hosting a Ukranian national underage team for a week, culminating in a special Galway versus Ukraine tournament.
The visitors will be guests of the Olympic club from Friday September 30 to October 2 after a coach of the Ukrainian national team contacted Olympic head coach Michael Mongan with a view to bringing a team of young boxers to the city.
Mongan is also a coach with Irish underage boxing teams, and it was through these contacts he has established internationally that the call came from Ukraine looking for help in staging a competition.
Although many youngsters have been displaced from their homes due to the conflict in their country, the team of young boxers, who are aged between 12 and 18, are continuing to train.
There will be an official welcome at the club’s premises on Friday September 30, and Olympic Boxing Club is inviting Ukrainian nationals living in the city to come along and enjoy cheering on their compatriots in a sporting contest.