A friendly petanque tournament was held at Dnipro State University of Internal Affairs with the aim of promoting the physical and psychological rehabilitation of war veterans. The event was organized by the Department of Special Physical Training with the support of the university administration.
The following took part in the competition:
● veterans who train at DSUIA;
● veterans working at the Oleksandr Hostishchev Dnipro Lyceum of Security Orientation and National-Patriotic Education of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine;
● veterans of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Dnipropetrovsk Region;
● veterans of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Luhansk Region;
● representatives of the university departments.
At the beginning of the event, the participants were greeted by the Acting Rector of DSUIA, Ihor Mahdalina. He thanked the veterans for their courage and devotion to Ukraine, emphasized the importance of creating conditions for their adaptation and development, and also noted that the university would continue to support veteran initiatives aimed at strengthening the physical and psychological health of defenders.
The competition took place in an atmosphere of friendly rivalry and sporting excitement. The participants demonstrated accuracy, strategic thinking, and the ability to work as a team. Each game was accompanied by lively communication, mutual support, and positive emotions, which once again confirmed the importance of adaptive sports as an effective tool for the socialization of veterans.
According to the results of the competition, the places were distributed as follows:
● first place – the team of the Oleksandr Hostishchev Dnipro Lyceum of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Serhii Diadkin, Vitalii Verbytskyi, Yurii Zhurba);
● second place – DSUIA-1 team (Serhii Shtym, Denys Shtym, Artem Hudzenko);
● third place – DSUIA-2 team (Yevhen Ratkov, Oleksandr Hryshchuk, Oleh Sakhnov).
Petanque is one of the sports that is actively developing in the veteran community. It does not require complex physical training and at the same time contributes to the development of coordination, concentration, communication, and team interaction. That is why this type of activity is increasingly being used as a component of rehabilitation and adaptation programmes.
Following the tournament, all participants received commemorative gifts from Dnipro State University of Internal Affairs. The event became another example of the university’s systematic work in the field of supporting veterans, creating a space for communication, mutual assistance, and an active lifestyle.
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