Volodymyr Tytarenko, creator of Mykolaiv’s sports facilities, has died
Seven Olympic participants trained in the arena he built
At the age of 78, Volodymyr Vasylovych Tytarenko, a sports and physical education organizer who spent many years developing the region’s sports infrastructure, died in Mykolaiv. His death was announced on November 9, 2026, by the Mykolaiv Regional Athletics Federation.
Among the facilities he worked on were Sudnobudivnyk Stadium, a sports and recreation complex, and an indoor athletics arena. The sports facilities created with his participation became a training base for future Olympic Games competitors.
Volodymyr Tytarenko was born on May 16, 1949, and dedicated his life to developing sports in Mykolaiv Oblast. As deputy director of Sudnobudivnyk Stadium, he contributed to the restoration and expansion of the venue. When it hosted the USSR Athletics Cup in 1974 and 1975, he was in charge of organizing the competitions.
In the 1980s, Tytarenko headed the Sudnobudivnyk sports club and set about building a sports and recreation complex. His engineering expertise, persistence, and organizational skills helped bring the project to life. Later, as director of the complex, he developed it into a major sports center.
The complex opened sections for:
- badminton;
- handball;
- weightlifting;
- martial arts.
Its facilities were used by:
- employees of the Black Sea Shipbuilding Plant;
- track and field athletes;
- yachtsmen;
- rowers;
- swimmers.
The indoor athletics arena at Sudnobudivnyk Stadium held a special place among Volodymyr Tytarenko’s projects. It became a training base for elite athletes: seven Olympic Games competitors trained there, and more than one hundred athletes earned the title of Master of Sports. Thanks to the organizer’s work, an athletics arena was also built in Victory Park.
Weightlifting became another focus of his work. Tytarenko organized competitions and improved the facilities for them. Among other things, he created a specialized platform and podium which, according to the regional athletics federation, had no equivalent in Europe in terms of equipment. In recent years, he was directly involved in organizing the Ukrainian Weightlifting Championships.
The federation praised not only his work as a manager and organizer, but also his ability to see complex projects through to completion. The sports facilities he left behind continue to serve local residents. Athletes who used the facilities he created benefited from his experience.
The statement also mentioned Volodymyr Vasylovych’s sons: they are continuing their father’s legacy in another form of service—currently defending Ukraine in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Regional Athletics Federation expressed its condolences to Volodymyr Tytarenko’s family and loved ones, friends, colleagues, and the region’s sporting community.
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