Dylan Bettencourt
The former captain of the Ukraine rugby team, Oleksi Tsibko, lost his life while fighting Russian troops in the town of Bucha.
The 55-year-old was reported to have died on 31 March, but confirmation of his death arrived on 6 April.
After retiring as the national team captain, Tsibko then had a spell as president of the country’s rugby federation between 2003 and 2005.
Tsibko then traded his rugby boots for a spot in Parliament, when he served as mayor of Smila for three years between 2015 and 2018.
The funeral of the rugby star took place on Wednesday at the Kyiv Baykove cemetery.
While the cause of Tsibko’s death remains unknown, the chair of the Cherkasy regional state administration Valeria Bandurko confirmed his passing on Facebook.
“The other day, everyone was hoping that reports of the death of the ex-mayor of Smila were not true,” Bandurko wrote.
“But today, unfortunately, they received an official death certificate of the former mayor of Smila, Aleksey Alexandrovich Tsybko. Farewell will take place on April 6 in Kyiv at the Baykove cemetery.”
Tributes for the late Ukraine captain poured in.
Former England captain and World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont shared his condolences with the Tsibko family.
“On UN Sports Day, our thoughts are with the Ukraine rugby family who are facing such incredible challenges at present,” he wrote on Twitter.
“We also remember those who have been victims of the recent violence, including the former union president Oleksii Tsibko.”
Several former and current athletes put themselves forward to fight the invasion by Russia which commenced on 24 February.
Russian forces have left the city of Bucha, where Tsibko was killed. But evidence has emerged that they committed grave war crimes, and are believed to have killed at least 300 civilians.
Image source: @MorariuOctavian
