Ovtcharov’s grandmother lived in Kyiv
National player leaves Russian club
04/13/2022, 09:25 am
Dimitrij Ovtcharov has been playing table tennis for the Russian top club Fakel Orenburg for twelve years. This is now at least temporarily over, the war of aggression against Ukraine makes an engagement impossible for the native of Kiev. The 33-year-old prays for an end to the war.
The German table tennis national player Dimitrij Ovtcharov will no longer play for his Russian club Fakel Orenburg for the time being. “A few weeks ago I made the decision to leave Orenburg,” Ovtcharov said on Instagram. The war against Ukraine made him stunned and very sad.
He won the Champions League four times with Fakel Orenburg, which is sponsored by the Russian energy company Gazprom. He had already switched to the Russian club in 2010. The two-time Olympic bronze medalist had not played for the club since his ankle surgery in October.
Over the years, the club has become his sporting home and has given him a lot of support in his development. “It’s actually not the sport’s fault, but I can’t just keep playing table tennis there!” Ovtscharov wrote.
“My grandmother lived in Kyiv until a few weeks ago. Thank God we managed to get her to Germany,” said the international. “I pray every day that this war will end.” He himself was born in Kyiv, his family moved to Germany shortly afterwards. His father was a Soviet table tennis champion and national player.