OLYMPIC BALL – 2025

OLYMPIC BALL – 2025
The United States Veterans Athletic Association gathered friends, associates, and distinguished guests at the Metropolitan Ballroom to celebrate the Olympic Ball and highlight its diverse and creative activities.
The level of Olympic balls is consistently high, like the Olympic flag of sports veterans, which Eduard Luchin has carried with honor and dignity for many years. His name is etched in the history of sports not only in New York but also far beyond its borders: in 2025, a star was installed on the Football Walk of Fame in Odessa in honor of Eduard Luchin—a public figure, sports radio journalist, peace activist, promoter of a healthy lifestyle, a man who did so much for people and society in the United States and abroad.
"Through sport - to goodness and peace!" - under this inspiring slogan, the Association of Sports Veterans (President Eduard Luchin, Vice President Oleg Sarumov) has been serving the community for over 20 years, introducing children, teenagers, adults and veterans to sport, cultivating strength of spirit, character and respect for human values.
Over the years, the Association has accomplished a tremendous amount of work. Among its significant events:
Memorials to the great football players and coaches Valeriy Lobanovskyi and Matvey Cherkasskyi;
Memorial to police detective Ruslan Timoshenko, who died heroically in the line of duty in New York;
A memorial against terror dedicated to the memory of the victims of the tragedies of September 11, 2001 in the United States and September 5, 1972 at the Olympic Games in Munich, when Palestinian terrorists killed 11 Israeli athletes!
For many years, chess players from different generations have competed for prizes at the Israeli International Grandmaster Boris Gelfand Cup festival. And this is just part of the Association's extensive and noble activities.
The Olympic Ball's guest of honor was Oleksiy Mykhailychenko, a legendary footballer and a shining example of the golden era of Dynamo Kyiv and the USSR national team in the late 1980s and early 1990s. For millions of fans, his name is more than just a page in sports history, but a living memory of a time of great victories, inspiration, and faith in the team's strength.
The purpose of Alexey Mykhailychenko's visit to the United States was special and deeply symbolic: participation in the traditional and significant events of the American Sports Veterans Association in New York, both for the global sports diaspora: the Valeriy Lobanovskyi Memorial and the celebratory, light-filled and emotional Olympic Ball, which took place on December 13.
The program of the visit was packed with events: meetings with former football players, representatives of various sports, and devoted fans—people for whom football was and remains a part of their lives. These heartfelt encounters, filled with memories and emotions, are incredibly important.
The decision to invite Alexey Mykhaylichenko was made jointly with the directors of the BridgeView Soccer Academy, Oleg Sarumov and Elshan Gambarov. This choice was dictated not only by his outstanding athletic achievements but also by the fact that Valeriy Lobanovskyi had been his mentor and teacher. It was Mykhaylichenko who was chosen to continue his legacy and lead the team after the great coach's departure.
The figure of Alexey Mikhailichenko also holds a special, almost symbolic, significance for the Olympic Ball. In 1988, he became Olympic champion in Seoul, winning a gold medal—the pinnacle of his athletic career and a source of national pride.
The 2025 Olympic Ball became one of the most vibrant and memorable events in New York's social and cultural life. That evening, many laureates received their honorary trophies from Alexey Mykhailychenko, a man whose victories have become part of our shared history. A special award from the Association of Sports Veterans was presented to the BridgeView Soccer Academy team as the best soccer school. The prestigious award was presented to the school's directors, Oleg Sarumov and Elshan Gambarov. A pennant from the Ukrainian soccer team was sent to Ibrahim Gambarov in Azerbaijan. For their long-term support of the Sports Veterans Association, the honorary award "People of the Year 2025 of the Sports Veterans Association" was presented to Dr. Elena Voronova, Dmitry and Alla Lisovetsky of Lisovetsky Memorial Home, attorney Dmitry Levitsky of Levitsky Low Firm, NETCOST MARKET and Edward Schneider, MatchPoint and Nino Mukhatasov, Dmitry Druzhinsky, Dmitry Novik, Gennady Dozortsev and his company Dozortsev and Sons, Lev Kotlyar and Blincom Media, Gennady Novitsky and Balinoff, Master of Sports in Wrestling Mikhail Pereymer, and others who helped organize this unforgettable event.
Many thanks to the newspaper "RReklama" - the information sponsor and personally to Yulia Gurevich and Pavel Shmukler.
The presentation of medals to the young athletes was a touching moment. Four talented players—Denis Levitsky, Alex Dubinsky, Nicholas Dresden, and Misha Morozov—are already among the strongest young footballers in New York and the United States.
It was nice to see children and winners from different teams in the hall – the future of sport, born before our eyes.
I feel genuine pride and joy watching how, over the nearly 20 years I've worked at the newspaper, an entire generation of children has grown up—well-mannered, goal-oriented, talented, whose parents place great importance on sports, music, dance, chess, and education. I can name many talented children. For example, the son of Alla and Dmitry Lisovetsky participated in the development of a weight-loss drug and named the medication, in memory of his grandmother, Maua.
So, the official part of the event included a charity raffle and auction, filled with warmth and meaning. Signed books about Lobanovskyi, T-shirts autographed by members of the Ukrainian football team, balls, souvenirs, and sweets were raffled off.
Funds raised during the auction will be donated through Oleksiy Mykhailychenko to a Ukrainian military hospital in support of the wounded undergoing a difficult recovery. This evening served as a reminder: sport isn't just about medals; it's also about compassion, remembrance, and responsibility.
The evening's highlights included performances by Honored Artist of Ukraine Victoria Vennikova, as well as talented performers Victoria Kantor, Yulia Geniush, and Oleg Kolomiets.
Joy filled the hearts of the guests when young football players from the BridgeView Soccer Academy took to the stage, scoring goals with their coaches, and dancers from the Ukrainian dance ensemble "Yunost" under the direction of Grigory Momot.
The organizers extend their heartfelt thanks to the Metropolitan Ballroom staff, the Association members, and everyone who made this evening possible, and once again congratulate all those who received honorary awards.
Marina Lagunova