Language Issues in Ukrainian Sports Media during the Wartime

This article analyses language issues concerning Ukrainian and Russian in Ukrainian sports media during the wartime in terms of language ideologies. It examines language-related comments of 103 Ukrainian sports figures, including retired athletes, coaches and officials from 21 disciplines. The analysed dataset consists of 127 textual and 31 video units comprising the comments from Ukrainian sports media and athletes’ social media platforms. In Ukrainian sports, traditionally associated with Russian as the dominant language, the prominent language-related issue today is the shift from Russian to Ukrainian, triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as is generally observed in wartime Ukraine. Since 2022, at least 31 sports figures publicly announced their language shift. Although language is not inherently linked to sport itself in athletes’ discourse, today, language issues are becoming increasingly entangled with war-related topics. Athletes’ discourse regarding their language shift reveals patterns: they embrace Ukrainian, explain their linguistic and geographic backgrounds, and distance themselves from Russian. Interviewers highlight athletes’ language choice and practice by appraising their Ukrainian and appreciating their effort to speak the language. Overall, athletes’ comments reinforce the language ideology “Language matters”.