In a recent interview, Oleksandr Svishchov, a well-known Ukrainian businessman and president of the Water Polo Federation of Ukraine, shared details about the creation of a unique sports and entertainment center “LEOLAND” in Lviv. Svishchov, who is the main investor and ideological leader of the project, spoke about the history and concept of this institution.
– Mr. Oleksandr, you are the main investor and ideological inspirer of building sports and entertainment center “LEOLAND” in Lviv. Tell us how the idea of building a center arose, where it was possible to combine active recreation and professional activities in various sports?
– I would like to mention a little the history of this place, where the current complex “LEOLAND” is located. All Lviv residents well remember that there was a sports complex “Ukraine”, where there were six tennis courts with a ground cover of an open format and two courts under a cover. Tennis competitions were held in that complex, but not as often as the sports tennis community would like. The infrastructure was already quite outdated, and it was impossible to hold championships of Ukraine or international competitions. For a long time, there was a great demand from the sports community for the restoration of this sports complex in Lviv. Such a request was also from the city and regional authorities of Lviv. I am a person who loves sports with all my heart, and there have always been sports projects in my life: football, water polo. Therefore, when a financial opportunity appeared and the question of investing funds in the restoration of the “Ukraine” sports complex arose, I accepted this challenge. Together with the team and the tennis community of Lviv, we discussed the concept of the complex for a long time. The task was to build modern and cool tennis courts where you can play tennis all year round. We implemented this ambitious idea for almost five years, that’s how long the reconstruction of the complex took. And a year has already passed since the “LEOLAND” complex has been open for visitors. In addition to tennis, we laid out various types of activities in the concept complex so that every little visitor could find something to his liking. There are lessons in preschool education: chemistry and physics, children can take their first steps in football, tennis and dancing.
(On the photo, on the right is Maksym Kozytskyi, the head of the Lviv OVA, on the left is Vadym Gutzait, the president of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, in the center is Oleksandr Svishchov, an investor in the LEOLAND complex, on the left is Roman Khimyak, the head of the youth and sports department of the Lviv OVA)
– Oleksandr Yuriyovych, now is a difficult time for Ukraine, a full-scale war is going on. This factor discourages international investors, and Ukrainian ones as well, to build and invest funds in new projects, especially sports ones. You, after all, were not afraid to open the “LEOLAND” SRC in such a difficult time for the country?
– The opening of the “LEOLAND” complex really took place at a very difficult time for Ukraine. The war created great uncertainty in the life of every Ukrainian, where to move and how to live on. But our Armed Forces stood up for the defense of the state and keep us hopeful that everything will be fine, that there will be victory over the enemy. Therefore, I decided to open a complex for myself in such a difficult time. This is also a kind of signal from business that we live, develop sports and invest in our children, who are the future of this country. I was convinced that “LEOLAND” will be a place where children’s laughter will be heard, where children and parents will be able to temporarily switch off from the difficult realities of war. Together with the team, we made the right decision to open the complex during a full-scale invasion. There is a shelter here, in case of an air raid, the children are in a safe place.
– During the year of operation of the sports and entertainment complex “LEOLAND” how many major tennis tournaments and competitions were held?
– Now I can say that we are making good progress and moving confidently in the education of young tennis players. Children began to practice this sport en masse, in the complex there is a school for the smallest tennis players “LeoSport”. Every month there are big tennis tournaments. We have already managed to hold championships of Ukraine among children and adults who have not been in Lviv for over ten years. I think this is a big breakthrough. For me personally, the fact that children in Lviv have fallen in love with tennis in a new and even stronger way is very valuable to me, I see this passion in their eyes during competitions, these are priceless emotions. The young coaches received a good basis for training athletes, and the children got the opportunity to develop and glorify our country on the international stage in the future. I believe that playing sports is very important in the life of every person, especially children. Every little Ukrainian should study the history and culture of our rich country and develop in the sports aspect. These whales are the keys to a successful country and a healthy society.
– What does the “LEOLAND” project mean to you personally in life?
– You know, to some extent this is my childhood dream. A dream that was missing in my childhood. At that time, it was possible to do sports mostly on the street, and I wanted to visit a sports complex. Therefore, I wanted to implement the idea of such a center where children can play sports and develop creatively, go to dances, draw and spend time actively. I believe that today in Lviv there is another wonderful place for the active development of children. We are happy to see every visitor and look forward to everyone who has not yet been to “LEOLAND”.
Natalia Bodnya, head of the Lviv branch of the Tennis Federation of Ukraine, also spoke about the importance of new tennis courts and a new push in the development of tennis. The expert notes that over the last year alone, interest in playing tennis in the city has increased by forty percent.
– Ms. Natalya, you can now often be seen in “LEOLAND” both at competitions and during training. To what extent did the opening of the complex increase interest in tennis among Lviv residents?
– You know, for Lviv and for me personally, it is a very significant event that a modern tennis complex has appeared in the city — indoor courts with a modern hard surface. The appearance of the new complex gave us the opportunity to play tennis and hold tournaments all year round. Previously, many children attended classes only in the summer when the weather was good, and then abandoned this sport due to the lack of a proper base and courts. Now that we have this opportunity, interest in tennis in the city has increased by 40 percent.
– Today, “LEOLAND” almost always has tennis competitions of various age categories. What are the successes of athletes, in particular Lviv residents?
– During this year, since the tennis courts in “LEOLAND” have been functioning, there have indeed been a lot of competitions. In December 2022, it was possible to hold the championships of Ukraine among youth and adults. As far as I can remember, there was no such thing in Lviv. Even when I worked at a professional level, we were always forced to visit other cities: Kyiv, Kharkiv. From a financial point of view, it was very difficult for the children and their parents, because the long moves and the expenses of participating in the tournaments were enormous. And now we have a wonderful complex in Lviv, and the issue of logistics has become much easier for our athletes. Now we can say that Lviv, to a certain extent, is becoming the sports capital of tennis. We are gaining momentum in competitions, and most importantly, we see that there is a great interest among children to play great tennis.
– Now it is possible to note the fact that in the age categories up to 12, 14 and 16 years there are representatives of Lviv who play in the national teams of Ukraine. This is very pleasant and at the same time motivates even more to train more athletes who will represent Ukraine at international competitions. I want to thank the investor of the sports complex “LEOLAND” (ed. Oleksandr Svishchov), who not only invested in the construction of the courts, but also constantly supports Lviv tennis players. Polina Kuznetsova from Lviv, one of the winners of the championships of Ukraine, was presented with a season ticket for free tennis lessons at “LEOLAND” for the whole year. Such gifts and actions from the management of the complex, of course, motivate and inspire our youth to new victories.
In the complex “LEOLAND” there is a school for small children “LeoSport”. Children have been playing tennis since they were three years old. Currently, the club has seven professional coaches. The head of the tennis school “LEOSPORT” and senior trainer Olena Bulacek told how this year it was possible to develop the practice of big tennis among the smallest visitors of the school.
– Mrs. Olena, you work as a senior coach and teach tennis to the school’s youngest athletes. Tell us how much demand there is among children and interest in tennis?
– Both children of any age and adult visitors can come to us. Our youngest athletes are only three years old and they are already learning how to hold a racket correctly. And we, in turn, instill in them a love for tennis and teach the basics of this sport. So far, this year, 130 people have already enrolled in the LEOSPORT school, which is a very large indicator. These are our visitors who systematically practice tennis with coaches. Recruitment to our school is ongoing and in the near future, I think there will be even more of these children.
– Every month children are more and more interested in this sport in the city. Every weekend in “LEOLAND” we hold tournaments for both kids and senior athletes under 16 years of age. We will finish this 2023 tennis year with competitions for the Cup of Ukraine for adults. For those who hesitate and who have not yet held a racket in their hands, come, we will be happy to teach you how to play tennis. The doors of our school are open to everyone who wants to and at any age.
