Olympics-Ukraine athletes worry about war back home as they compete

A silver medallist of 2020 Tokyo Olympics and a member of the Ukrainian Olympic wrestling team Parviz Nasibov says goodbye to his family before boarding a train to the Paris 2024 Olympics via Poland, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 23, 2024. REUTERS/Alina Smutko

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine's Olympians focused on performing their best in Paris bear an additional burden - worrying about what might happen back home in the war pitting their homeland against Russia.

Athletes could not help being preoccupied as they boarded a train on Tuesday with "Olympic carriages" on their way to the Games. Planes remain out of the question in Ukraine with constant air raids and attacks by missiles and drones 29 months into the war.