The directors of sports schools oppose the removal of their right to collect fees for yacht mooring in Mykolaiv
- News of Mykolaiv
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- Anna Hakman
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11:59, 18 March, 2026
Svitlana Kapur, Director of the ‘Olymp’ Children’s and Youth Sports School. Photo: NikVestiThe directors of Mykolaiv’s sports schools, Kostyantyn Maltsev (Atlant) and Svitlana Kapur (Olymp), have argued that part of the site, which is planned to be allocated for a private yacht marina, should remain in the schools’ use. According to them, this would provide a boost to the institutions’ budgets.
The issue was discussed on Tuesday, 17 March, during a joint meeting of three standing committees of the city council: on housing and communal services, human rights and the rule of law, and health, education, culture and sport. In addition, representatives of the sports department, the legal department and directors of sports schools took part in the meeting, reports NikVesti.
In particular, Konstantyn Maltsev, director of the Atlant Children’s and Youth Sports School, stated that every facility, whether for small craft or sports vessels, must have a single administration and one person in charge who bears full responsibility for the safe operation of the facility.
«This constitutes a breach of mandatory legal provisions regarding navigation safety. In accordance with the rules for the technical operation of mooring facilities for small vessels, approved by Order No. 101 of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine dated 22 February 2023, every such facility, whether for small vessels or recreational craft, must have a single administration and one responsible person who bears full responsibility for the safe operation of the facility. The essence of the violation lies in the division: the very same hydraulic structures — piers, slipways, boathouses and the water area — are used by two different legal entities, namely «Atlant» and a third-party business entity. This creates what is known as dual management, which directly contradicts the requirements of legislation in the field of inland waterway transport. Such a model makes it impossible to clearly identify who is responsible for the safety of navigation and the protection of life on the water, and is unacceptable from a legal point of view,» according to Konstantyn Maltsev.
Konstantin Maltsev, Director of the ‘Atlant’ Children’s and Youth Sports School. Photo: NikVestiIn turn, Olena Kiseliova, a member of the Mykolaiv City Council from the European Solidarity party and chair of the Committee on Legality and Transparency, stated that the city council is responsible for the institution’s organisational activities.
«The school director is responsible for educational and sporting processes. However, the Mykolaiv City Council is responsible for the institution’s organisational activities. If changes to legislation occurred during the war, it is the Mykolaiv City Council, as the de facto owner of the school, that must regulate its activities or confirm that they comply with current regulations. In fact, both at the start and throughout this meeting, we are discussing precisely this aspect. Therefore, each party may have different views, emotions or positions, but the main thing in this context is compliance with legal requirements and ensuring the school can continue to operate,» said Olena Kiseliova.
The Atlant Comprehensive Children’s and Youth Sports School. Photo: Children’s and Youth Sports SchoolKonstantyn Maltsev added that the institution’s budget would be replenished, not ‘his personal one’.
«And what the head of the legal department was talking about is that small boats are considered an additional activity intended to replenish the institution’s budget, not my personal one. First and foremost, as the school’s director, I must open a mooring facility for sports boats,» believes Konstantyn Maltsev.
«Are you as the school director?» asked Olena Kiseliova.
«Yes, as the school director,» replied Konstantyn Maltsev.
«That is your opinion,» replied Olena Kiseliova.
«No, these are legal requirements,» said Konstantyn Maltsev.
In Mykolaiv, the future of the ‘Atlant’ and ‘Olymp’ mooring bases was discussed once again. Photo: NikVesti«At present, the children are the ones in charge. Be that as it may, it is not the management. We have internal regulations, an internal document that governs the school’s operating conditions. All the services we currently provide are focused on children. Nothing is happening at the moment, but even today I hear that children’s rights are being violated. There are parents, there are certain complaints,» said Svitlana Kapur, director of the Olymp Children’s and Youth Sports School.
Inspections and division of the territories of the «Atlant» and «Olymp» schools
As a reminder, Mykolaiv has revisited the issue of dividing the territories of the «Atlant» and «Olymp» sports schools, part of whose land is planned to be allocated for a private yacht mooring. In 2022, the law on inland waterway transport came into force, which clearly distinguished between mooring bases and mooring bases for small vessels.
In 2024, the city was advised to bring both complexes into line with the legislation, and a working group was set up involving the authorities, athletes and school management. The first group analysed the operations of the «Atlant» school, which uses the site of the former yacht club of the 61st Communist Factory. The second is reviewing the activities of the «Olymp» school in the Korabelnyi district — its work is still ongoing.
During the inspections, issues were identified regarding hydraulic structures, the management of municipal property, the transparency of tariffs, and the collection of fees for mooring vessels. At the time, Artem Vashchylenko, chair of the expert and public council, noted that the children’s schools had no right whatsoever to engage in vessel mooring, and that funds were being collected in a non-transparent manner.
The mayor and councillors emphasised that the schools’ primary task is to train children. Commercial activities must be separated and comply with the law. The committee agreed to revisit the issue with an expanded panel, involving other committees, school management, the relevant department, and the deputy mayor.
If the session’s decision is adopted, the territories of the «Atlant» and «Olymp» schools will be demarcated: the schools will focus on coaching activities, whilst the municipal enterprise Timeset will be responsible for maintaining the moorings and collecting fees for the berthing and storage of vessels.
It later emerged that some of the mooring facilities for small and recreational vessels in Mykolaiv may not open this season, meaning that vessels may not be able to take to the water.
During a staff meeting chaired by the mayor on 2 March, Valerii Vetrov, a representative of the Expert and Public Council of the City Executive Committee, stated that there were about two months left until the start of the season, after which state inspectors would inspect the sports schools’ bases. If the documents or operating conditions do not meet legal requirements, they may not be allowed to open.
Read also the article by NikVesti: «A City on the Wave»: how Mykolaiv is reviving and promoting sailing and yachting.