The memory of him spreads far beyond our borders. Ukrainian rugby champion Oleksiy Tsybko lost his life in the war against the Russian invaders.
Born on March 19, 1967, in the town of Smila in the Cherkasy region, Oleksiy graduated from the local School No. 6 and pursued higher education at the Lviv State University of Physical Culture, named after I. Bobersky, and later obtained a law degree from the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.
Oleksiy chose to become a physical education teacher not by chance. He began practicing athletics in school and became a Soviet Union Master of Sports in discus throwing. After finishing his studies in Kyiv, he attended a rugby match that ignited his passion for the sport. As a trained athlete, he was immediately invited to join the team. He played for “Aviator” and “Argo-NAU,” with which he became the Ukrainian champion eight times. He also captained the Ukrainian National Rugby Team. He later played in Germany, where he was recognized as the best player in his league. From 2003 to 2005, Oleksiy led the Ukrainian Rugby Federation, during which the qualification stage of the Rugby-7 European Championship was held for the first time in Kyiv. The tournament, with 15 teams from around the world, was recognized by the European Rugby Association as the best among similar competitions held in France, Poland, Croatia, Russia, and Georgia.
In 2014, Oleksiy actively participated in the Revolution of Dignity and, later that year, volunteered for the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO). Fortunately, he returned home unscathed, later entering politics. From 2015 to 2020, he served as the mayor of his native Smila.
In 2001, Oleksiy met his future wife, Alla, who in November 2020 gave birth to their long-awaited daughter, Sofiyka. He was supposed to spend many more happy years with his family, but fate had other plans.
On the first day of the full-scale invasion, Oleksiy immediately joined the defense of Ukraine alongside his comrades from “Aidar,” with whom he had fought in 2014, remaining in the reconnaissance special forces unit.
When a missile struck near his home in Kyiv, where he lived with his family, Oleksiy sent his wife and daughter to Smila while he stayed in the capital, performing combat duties in the region. On March 31, 2022, on the day of Bucha’s liberation, Oleksiy Tsybko was killed in battle…
Today, the Hero is remembered not only in Ukraine. Rugby matches in Germany begin with a moment of silence for Oleksiy Tsybko and all other Ukrainian rugby players who died in the war with Russia. In Poland, a sports trophy named after Oleksiy Tsybko in the shape of a shield, called “Gloria Heroibus,” has been established and will be passed from team to team.
On April 20, 2022, during a session of the Smila City Council, Oleksiy Tsybko was posthumously awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Smila. On July 8, a museum dedicated to his memory, the Oleksiy Tsybko Memorial Museum, was opened at the O. Zhurylova Central Library in Smila.