Ihor Matviienko

Ihor Matviienko was born on May, 17, 1971, in Dnipro, Ukrainian SSR. He graduated from the Dnipropetrovsk State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports and in 1984, he began his sailing career.[3]

In 1988, at the Games of the Soviet peoples, he met Evgeny Braslavets, with whom he later performed in the same crew in several competitions.[4] In 1990, he became a member of the USSR national team in the 470 class. In 1991, he won the Spartakiad of the People of the USSR.

In 1996, Ihor Matviienko together with Yevhen Braslavets participated in the 26th Olympic Games in Atlanta and became champion (gold) in class 470.[5][6] Matviienko and Braslavec won the Olympics with a minimum number of penalty points and therefore entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1997.[7][3]

Matviienko also participated in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics.[8]

In 2000, he became the bronze medalist of the World Championship.[9]

In 2001, Matviienko won gold at the World Championships. In the same year, he won gold at the European Championships.[10][11]

After his Olympic career, he took part in numerous racing projects at the world level in classes Dragon, Transpac52, SB20, and Melges20. Also, he coached national and Olympic teams of Ukraine and Russia in different classes (470, Finn, catamaran, Tornado, Ingling). Together with Yevhen Braslavets, he coached the national team of Singapore in class 470 in the cycle of preparation for the Asian Games, as well as the women's crew of the Canadian national team in class 470 in the cycle of preparation for the Olympic Games in Australia.[12][13]

He played for the Ministry of Defence Sports Club Ukraine (Dnipro).

In March 2017, Matviienko founded the MIR Racing Yacht Club in Dnipro, where are organized weekend club races, held master classes, trained to manage a yacht (adults and children), training of amateur crews to participate in regattas around the world.[14][15]

Ihor Matviienko regularly organizes sailing competitions in Dnipro, develops children's yachting.[16][17]

Since 2019, he is the President of the Sailing Federation of Dnipro.[18][19]

In July 2020, Ihor Matviienko organized the Double-Handed Sailing Championship of Ukraine. Teams from Dnipro, Cherkasy, and Odesa took part in the championship.

In August 2020, Matviienko initiated the Nikopol Cup regatta. The competition was held in the fleet of the MIR Yacht Club.[20]

In May 2021 by the initiative of Matviienko and with the support of the city council the Sailing Federation of Dnipro, together with the MIR yacht-club, held the "Dnipro Open Championship". Apart from teams from Dnipro and Dnipropetrovsk region, the participants from Zaporizhzhia, Nikopol, Nova Kakhovka, and Energodar were invited to the Championship.[21][22]

In 2021, Matviienko initiated "Sails of the Dnipro", the first Open Sailing Championship for children and youth from 7 to 16 years old in Dnipro.[23][24]

In July 2022, Matviienko as a head of Gaidamaki teams won the SSL GOLD CUP World Cup qualification.[25][26][27][28]

In June 2023, Ihor Matviienko won a bronze medal as part of the Israeli crew at the 12th International Ledro Match Race in Italy.[29][30]

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ihor Matviienko called on Russian and Belarusian athletes to oppose their governments.[31]