October 2, 2026: Today, the International Functional Fitness Federation (iF3) announced its recognition of the Українська Федерація функціонального фітнесу/Ukrainian Functional Fitness Federation (UA3F) as the national governing body for competitive functional fitness in Ukraine.
Dmytro Leshchenko, Co-Founder and President of the UA3F announced, “Membership in iF3 gives Ukrainian athletes the opportunity not only to compete within Ukraine but also to test their skills at international competitions. Despite the challenges it currently faces, Ukraine is striving to take its rightful place within the international fitness community and thanks iF3 for its trust and for its prompt consideration of the application for iF3 membership.”
He went on to explain that, “Among UA3F’s immediate plans for 2026 are to obtain accreditation from the IOC and the NOC of Ukraine and to participate in the competitions in Glasgow (UK) on December 11–13, 2026 (https://united-kingdom.thesport.fit/event/2026-if3-seniors-juniors-worlds). We also aim to steadily increase the number of registered members by developing training facilities and workout areas in all regions of Ukraine so that every federation member has a place to train, continue developing our youth program, and prepare Ukrainian athletes for future iF3 competitions in 2027.”
Athletes from Ukraine are immediately eligible to compete at this year’s iF3 World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland December 11-13th. To learn more about the work of the Ukrainian Federation, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/145247529/.
Leshchenko expressed his excitement about the future saying: ”CrossFit® and functional fitness in Ukraine have been developing for several years now thanks to the energy of people who simply love to train, but until now have not had the opportunity to compete on the international stage. That is why we decided that starting a National Federation was the correct next step.”
Gretchen Kittelberger, President of the International Functional Fitness Federation, commented, “The iF3 is excited to welcome the Ukrainian Federation as its newest National Federation. Over the years, we have had occasional interest from various individuals in Ukraine in starting a Federation, and we are grateful to finally officially have the opportunity to work with Dymtro and his team to help develop both the federation and the sport of functional fitness across the country. “
