Team Ukraine to battle Team USA in a ‘friendly’ food-fundraising women’s wrestling dual in Coralville

IOWA CITY — In the decade-plus since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, many living in the war-torn nation have acclimated — even with air raid sirens, curfews, power outages, and threats of missile strikes.

They’ve found ways to resume normal life — going out to eat, work, play, and, for the country’s top athletes, train.

“The athletes will come and they will say, ‘Oh, everything is fine.’ But the reality is that they’ve just adapted to the conditions,” Andriy Vorontsov said of the Ukrainian women’s wrestling team he helps lead. “The number of training bases, Olympic centers, training centers has decreased gradually since the war began.

“Basically, we have only one spot where girls can train, which is Kyiv Olympic Training Center,” Vorontsov said Tuesday from Sydney, Australia — where he and his family have relocated from the war. “But access to this training center is very limited because all the teams from all summer, winter Olympic sports try to go there.

“And it's not always that they can get access.”

So the Ukrainian women have had to look to and lean on the partnerships — and friendships — they’ve built around the world, including with “Wrestletown USA,” aka Iowa City and Coralville, which they’ll be visiting next month.

“This is like a breeze in a place where there is no oxygen,” Vorontsov said about the opportunity to train in Iowa. “We're getting great sparring partners — like world class sparring partners, coaching staff, and facilities.”

With their eyes on the upcoming international competition season, including the European Championships in the spring, Team Ukraine in early December will join Team USA’s women wrestlers for a two-week training camp with the University of Iowa Hawkeye women’s wrestling program.

Capping the camp — and plenty of Midwestern hospitality sprinkled throughout the visit — Team USA will face off against Team Ukraine for a “friendly” at Xtream Arena in Coralville on Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. Given its proximity to Christmas, in lieu of tickets, fans will be encouraged to bring non-perishable food items in support of the Coralville Community Food Pantry.

“One of the best things that we enjoyed last time coming to Iowa was the hospitality,” Vorontsov said. “It was very much appreciated. The team, they got so many emotional things that touched them and motivated them to move forward. They continue to believe that there is a world around where people support Ukrainian.”

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‘They felt the love’

Team Ukraine’s bond with the Iowa City area began in December 2022 when it became the last team to qualify for the United World Wrestling Women’s World Cup at Xtream in Coralville — and then went on to win the whole thing, topping the world’s best from China, Japan, the United States and an all-star international squad.

During that first stay, community members stepped up to pay them extra attention.

“They felt the love,” Think Iowa City President and Iowa Women’s Wrestling Club board President Josh Schamberger said. “They became near and dear to our community.”

The following year, most of the Ukrainian wrestlers returned for a training camp with the Hawkeye wrestlers — enjoying another does of Midwestern hospitality. They visited Wilson’s Apple Orchard, which boasts a Ukrainian farm team, and visited the home of Hawkeye wrestling icon Dan Gable, inviting native Ukrainians to cook an authentic Ukrainian meal for the women.

“Everything revolves around (Hawkeye) Coach (Clarissa) Chun and if the team has interest and is accommodating,” Schamberger said. “And she always is. Because getting to wrestle with that quality of athlete makes ours so much better.”

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‘Ukraine is still alive’

Among the Ukrainian athletes returning to town next month are continental, world, and Olympic medalists, like 2025 European Champion Oksana Livach, 2024 Olympic Silver Medalist Iryna Koliadenko, and 2025 World Champion Alla Belinska.

“We’re borrowing a term from the soccer world and calling the head to-head dual at Xtream Arena a ‘friendly’,” Schamberger said. “But make no mistake, the competition will be fierce when Team Ukraine’s best takes on Team USA.”

As a sort of undercard, the women’s wrestling squads with City High, Cedar Rapids Washington, and Iowa City West High will face off before the main event.

Vorontsov said the event and two-week camp will serve not only as good training and competition, but as exposure in a wrestling world still skeptical of their capacity to perform — given the challenges facing Ukraine.

“One of the reasons we want to have this match, we want to create some sort of exposure for the Ukrainian team,” he said. “We want to show other countries around the world that we have friends and people who really support us.”

It’s a form of sports diplomacy, according to Vorontsov.

“Ukraine is still alive. Here are our athletes,” he said. “They demonstrate their resilience, they demonstrate their strength, and we are very much ready to compete and bring pride to our nation.”

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Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com