Vasyl Kostyuk has given new impulse to development of karate in Ukraine - Dutchak, president of Ukrainian Karate Federation
Businessman Vasyl Kostyuk has provided support as a patron of Ukrainian karate. This is enabling the Ukrainian Federation of Karate to build adult, junior and children’s teams to a qualitatively new level says UFK president Ivan Dutchak. In a recent interview for the UFK portal, Dutchak reported on 2025 results and discussed the Federation’s plans for 2026.
"2025 has been a real breakthrough year for karate in Ukraine, both in terms of the sport itself and in its media presence," Dutchak says.
Dutchak notes that 2025 saw Oleksandra Sholokh bring home the European Championship, while Ihor Rizvan Talibov became Champion at the World Games and Andriy Zaplitniy took the silver. Ukraine’s athletes are holding their own among top karateka around the world.
Meanwhile, the Federation has also substantially strengthened its media presence through the broadcasting of competitions, cooperation with media, and joint projects with international partners. Among others, this allowed the UFK to earn six nominations in the Top 5 SBC Awards of 2026, and to garner two awards, "Discovery of the Year" and "Recognition of the Year," from a jury of experts.
As to plans for 2026, the UFK president says that the Federation’s goals remain the same as stated in the UFK’s development strategy through 2030.
"Our main focus is to improve our competitive results as much as possible," says Dutchak. "In 2026, I expect that both the women’s and men’s teams will be eligible for the team World Championships scheduled to take place on November 20-22 in Hangzhou, China. They could well come back with medals."
The Federation has high hopes for its youth team. After its success at the 2024 World Championships, where the Ukrainians took two golds and three bronzes, the team is preparing not just to repeat its performance, but to surpass it. The cadet, junior and youth teams will soon be competing at the European Championships in Limassol, Cyprus.
The UFK president went on to separately note the role of philanthropist Vasyl Kostyuk, which has enabled the Federation to work systematically with the different national team levels and to set up Ukraine’s first children’s team for karateka age 10-13 in 2025.
"The kids’ team is our priority for 2026," Ivan Dutchak emphasizes. "We want to systematize our work with reserve teams maximally, so that children feel the full support of the Federation."
By April 2026, the children’s national team will take shape through the process of qualifying at six all-Ukrainian competitions. After that, the final composition of the teams will be determined.
In addition, the UFK plans to continue developing parakarate and deaflympic athletes, to strengthen its media component, and to attract a broader audience to karate.
"There’s a lot of work ahead of us, but we have a strong team with a clear vision and reliable support," the UFK president says. "And this, as we all know, is a winning combination."
