Sports and Youth

For InterChem SLC, supporting sports and youth development is not just a part of corporate social responsibility—it is a long-standing company tradition and a true part of its DNA. Basketball, volleyball, sporting events, athlete recovery, and cultural-educational initiatives—all reflect how sports and young people become a driving force for social progress.

Kesselman Foundation for the Support of Youth and Women’s Basketball

A vivid example of long-term support is the Kesselman Foundation, named after the Honored Coach of Ukraine Yosyp Yakovych Kesselman, who devoted his life to training young athletes. The idea for the foundation came from Borys Litvak, Hero of Ukraine and Director of the Youth Sports School No. 2, together with Anatoliy Reder, CEO of InterChem. The foundation’s president became Kesselman’s son, Viktor Vorozhko.

The foundation’s goal is to support youth and women’s basketball while promoting values of humanity and compassion. Its mission extends beyond providing coaching and educational support—it also focuses on implementing modern management and marketing approaches, creating contemporary training conditions, and nurturing future champions.

InterChem Basketball Team

Within a few years of activity, the foundation helped solidify InterChem–SDYUSSHOR No. 2 Odesa on Ukraine’s basketball map. The club now competes with two rosters in the Premier and First Leagues, becoming a true sports ambassador of Odesa at the national level.

InterChem–SDYUSSHOR named after Borys Litvak, the main women’s team, is a two-time Champion of Ukraine and a two-time Ukrainian Cup winner. Over the years, the team has earned gold, silver, and bronze medals in the Women’s Superleague, consistently demonstrating a high level of play.

InterChem–SDYUSSHOR–2, competing in the First League, finished the 2024 season in third place and reached the Final Six—an important platform for young, promising athletes who later join the main team.

The team is led by Iryna Shchypakina, one of Odesa’s greatest basketball players, an International Master of Sports, and a renowned coach—herself a student of Yosyp Kesselman.

Sport as a Medium of International Communication

The year 2024 became symbolic for the integration of sport and civic identity. During EURO 2024 in Germany, with the support of InterChem SLC, two large-scale initiatives were realized—powerful expressions of Ukraine’s resilience and spirit.

“Peace Has a Price” Campaign in Stuttgart

During a match, Ukrainian fans—supported by InterChem—unfolded a massive banner featuring the portrait of fallen Azov soldier and fan Nazarii Hryntsevych, generated by AI from photos of other fallen Ukrainian defenders.

The inscription “Peace Has a Price” became a powerful message to Europe. The initiative received worldwide media coverage, including in The New York Times, The Guardian, Bild, and La Repubblica. Despite UEFA’s general ban on political banners, this act underlined that today, sport cannot be separated from the fight for freedom and justice.

Installation of the Destroyed “Sonyachny” Stadium Tribune

In central Munich, visitors saw a large-scale installation of the destroyed “Sonyachny” Stadium from Kharkiv—demolished by Russian shelling. The project was financed by InterChem SLC and became one of the most visited cultural exhibitions of EURO 2024.

The installation included real fragments of stadium structures, immersive VR-360 content, multilingual information panels, and eyewitness photographs. Thousands of visitors—including politicians, diplomats, and journalists—left emotional feedback about its impact. The exhibition later appeared at the Olympic Games, turning into a global reminder of the war and the true cost of peace.

Both initiatives demonstrated how sport can convey truth and values far beyond national borders. InterChem SLC showed that investing in sport means investing in the future—in Ukraine’s voice on the international stage.

From Odesa to the World’s Largest Arenas

InterChem SLC builds its philanthropic and social strategy around the idea that Ukraine’s future depends on youth, health, and unity. Supporting basketball, partnering with the Kesselman Foundation, sponsoring the InterChem Basketball Club, assisting Odesa’s men’s volleyball and handball teams, helping rehabilitate athletes, supporting local tournaments, and participating in international projects—all these are responsible investments in people, values, and Ukraine’s broader global perspective.