National University of Physical Education and Sport of Ukraine

National University of Physical Education and Sport of Ukraine (Національний університет фізичного виховання і спорту України; Natsionalnyi universytet fizychnoho vykhovannia i sportu Ukrainy). An institute of higher education in Kyiv. It was founded in 1930 as a section of the Kharkiv Institute of People's Education and reopened after the Second World War (1944) on the basis of the Kyiv Tekhnikum of Physical Culture and named Kyiv Institute of Physical Culture. In 1995 it was reorganized into the Kyiv State University of Physical Education. In 1998 it was granted the national university status and assumed its present name.

Since its establishment this institution has been the main center for the preparation of the best athletes, instructors, and coaches in Ukraine. Many Ukrainian, World, Olympic, and European champions and record holders have trained there. Among the more prominent are Valery Borzov, Ye. Bulanchyk, Volodymyr Holubnychy, V. Krepkina, Liudmyla Lysenko (Hurevych), Nina Otkalenko, Yurii Siedykh in track and field; P. Astakhova, N. Bocharova, Larysa Latynina, Yu. Tytov, Boris Shakhlinin in gymnastics; H. Hamarnyk and P. Pinihin in wrestling; and Oleksander O. Sydorenko and S. Fesenko in swimming. During Soviet times, M. Bunchuk, the institute’s long-time director, favored the independent participation of Ukraine in the Olympic Games.

Today the university has four faculties (sport and management; faculty for trainers; health, physical education, and tourism; and a correspondence program). It also offers a graduate program. Research on training methods for athletes, the influence of exercise on children, nutrition, and physiotherapy is conducted there. The enrollment is over 3,000 students.

Osyp Zinkevych

[This article was updated in 2017.]