With 40.9 seconds left in the game on Saturday night, Max Shulga was standing at the line, his Utah State Aggies leading the Colorado State Rams 83-77. A chant from the crowd began to echo as the referee handed the basketball to Shulga and he got ready to shoot.
Colorado State fans in the student section appeared to be trying to psych out Shulga, a third-year guard from Ukraine, by shouting the name of the country that invaded his homeland last year. International studies major Shulga called the incident “very upsetting,” and Colorado State University administrators and the men’s basketball coach issued an apology for the “disrespectful and improper” behaviour of their fans shortly after.
Colorado State officials tweeted, “We apologise to the student-athlete and Utah State. “We firmly believe in the Mountain West Sportsmanship Policy and the University Principles of Community, and this is a violation of those values. We expect all participants, students, and spectators to feel welcome in our spaces, so it is unacceptable at Colorado State for this to have happened.
For “their prompt support and understanding following the disappointing events during last night’s game,” Shulga praised the referees and Medved. His family and friends are still in Ukraine and are in “continuous danger,” he stated in a statement made public by Utah State, which has made the past year challenging for him.
Despite being highly unpleasant in the moment, Shulga continued, “I also know how emotions can run high during competition and people can do and say things they do not truly intend.” I accept and value the apology from Colorado State and its supporters.
Everyone was urged to join him in praying for peace in Ukraine as he concluded.
Colorado State officials made a faux-pas in their apology by referring to Shulga’s homeland as “the Ukraine.” Many Ukrainians find that an offensive throwback to when the country, which achieved independence in 1991, was part of the Soviet Union. “Without the article you refer to Ukraine as an independent country as opposed to a region or province,” Serhii Plokhii, a professor of Ukrainian history at Harvard University, told The Washington Post in 2019.
Colorado State officials issued an apology for the “unintentional, inaccurate allusion to Ukraine” in a statement to The Post. While rushing to issue an apology, university authorities claimed that they did not plan to offend anyone but simply made a mistake.
Shulga’s interaction with the Aggies’ student section was different the day after the invasion on February 24 of the previous year. Numerous blue and gold sheets of paper were held up by Utah State students in the fans during the team’s game versus Colorado State on February 26.
In a video provided by the Utah State athletic department, Shulga remarked, “The whole section lit up in the Ukrainian flag – blue and yellow.” “It was pretty fantastic, I liked that, and I appreciate all the help,” the speaker said.
Shulga said in the video that he was born in Ukraine and that he remained there until he was 13 years old. He continued to see his family once or twice a year even after moving away. He said the conflict felt “like a video game” in the weeks following Russia’s invasion. He claimed that worrying about family members who were still in Ukraine made watching the fighting on television unpleasant.
In the video, he remarked, “There are a lot of feelings, mixed emotions. “When I contact my parents, I’m glad to speak with them, but I’m also aware that there are other individuals and relatives of other random people dying out there while defending our nation. I’m certainly delighted to see my family safe and well, but I’m also angry about everything that is happening, so I’m simply [over] here.
Shulga failed to convert the free throw during the “Russia” shout at the game on Saturday in Fort Collins. But he helped the Aggies defeat the Rams 88-79 with nine points, six assists, and three rebounds.
source from: msn.com
