Zelenska and Howard Buffett visited Ukraine's first accessible sports facility

Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska, together with American philanthropist Howard Buffett, visited LOKO CHOKOlivka, the country’s first fully accessible sports facility. 

This facility, built on the site of the “Lokomotiv” Basketball Club’s stadium and sports complex in Kyiv, was constructed with financial support from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. 

The facility in Kyiv’s Chokolivka neighborhood had been in a state of disrepair for over 35 years, and the stadium of the same name was severely damaged by a Russian missile strike in 2024. 

The main goal of the restoration was to create a rehabilitation center for veterans, injured railway workers, people with disabilities and amputations, and wheelchair users, as well as an accessible training area for children. During the visit, the guests watched training sessions by “Lokomotiv” players, veterans in wheelchairs, and amputee soccer players, and also spoke with participants in Ukrzaliznytsia’s “Iron Change” youth program. Since its opening, the facility’s grounds have hosted approximately 80 events, including soccer, basketball, tennis, volleyball, and chess tournaments. The President’s wife thanked the American philanthropist for his consistent support, noting that his foundation had previously fully funded the construction of the first central kitchen in Bucha and a second one in the Kharkiv region to provide hot meals to dozens of schools and kindergartens. In addition, Buffett’s organization is helping Ukrainian farmers by providing equipment for demining agricultural land and is funding medical rehabilitation for Ukrainian servicemen.

This was reported by the press service of the Office of the President.

As a reminder, with the support of the Howard Buffett Foundation, the “Faktor-Druk” printing house in Kharkiv was restored. It had been destroyed during enemy shelling on May 23, 2024.

Previously, the foundation of American philanthropist Howard Buffett organized a demonstration of demining equipment concepts using the latest technologies from The HALO Trust, which were subsequently transferred to Ukraine.