After the young Ukrainians who conquered the hearts of Quebecers during their participation in the International Hockey tournament Pee-Wee in 2023, it is now the turn of a women’s volleyball team to taste the hospitality of the Quebec region.
Instigator of the project, Émile Lapierre retained the services of Olivier Hubert-Benoît who played as in 2023 an important role in the arrival of the Ukrainians. “In February 2022 shortly after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, we had given the income of a local match to the Ukrainian community in the Quebec region,” said the president of Rouge et Or at Laval University. We decided to go further. In this kind of initiative, we often think of boys, but we have decided to favor female sport and volleyball that is very popular at us. It is the most beautiful project of my life. ”
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL OF QUEBEC
Long -term work
Lapierre and his acolytes have been working on the project for a year. Host family with his spouse as a young Ukrainian who has been studying in St.pat’s for two years and plays hockey, Hubert-Benoît was not difficult to convince when Lapierre contacted him to take advantage of his lights.
“It is pure pleasure to bring these young girls to Quebec for the classic of volleyball,” he said. You don’t miss an opportunity like that. I thank Émile who believed in me. It was wonderful to welcome them to Montreal airport on Saturday evening. ”
“The process of obtaining visas was not simple and stretched over more than six months, to continue Hubert-Benoît. We finally obtained them three weeks ago. I was stressed not to achieve our goal. Before the elections, there have been political pressures to federal deputies in the region. ”
A dream that becomes reality
-At the start, the players of the Poltava club, a city of nearly 300,000 inhabitants located 340 kilometers from the capital kyiv, struggled to believe what happened to them. The club’s selection was made through the Ukrainian volleyball federation.
“At the start, the girls didn’t really believe it,” said Hubert-Benoît. I was alone at the start to chat with the club and quickly realized that all the speakers had to participate. When we started the virtual meetings where girls could see everyone’s face, they started to believe it. It has become very real when they had to go to kyiv to update their passport. ”
Because Poltava is located closer to the Russian borders than the capital, the trip was more complicated. After bypassing the combat zones, the coach reached Bucharest, the capital of Romania, where a flight was waiting for them for Montreal.
“The trip was very long, but we finally arrived under everyone’s efforts,” said attacker Karolina Antonets. It feels like a film. We are happy to be here. “
“It is like a dream that our club was chosen, to add Antonets in a good English. We didn’t believe it at first. Quebec is an ancient city and we like food. There is no gymnasium like that at home. ”
The girls, their coach and the translator are staying in the residences of Laval University. They are counting on a nanny that watches over them constantly.
“The girls are so grateful for everything we do for them,” said Andréa Labonté who ensures that visitors are lacking. The girls were very impressed by the purchasing centers and they want to go back. We get attached quickly and I asked my father if we couldn’t adopt them all. ”
