In the history of Ukrainian sport in the United States, there are many outstanding figures whose work has left a lasting mark. Among this distinguished group, one unique figure stands out in the modern development of Ukrainian sport and the Olympic movement in the United States — Myron Byts. His charisma, creativity, patriotism, national consciousness, and deep respect for and reverence of his Ukrainian roots are a driving force behind Ukrainian sport in the U.S. today. Myron’s versatility is impressive and deserves attention and a detailed analysis of his many years of productive and dedicated work aimed at the continuous development and preservation of Ukrainian sporting, cultural, linguistic, and historical traditions in the United States.
On January 13, Myron Byts celebrated his birthday. We will not mention his age, as he is always active and a generator of new ideas within the Ukrainian community in the U.S. This occasion gives us a wonderful opportunity to honor him and express our respect and gratitude for his many years of experience as an athlete, manager, leader, founder, philanthropist, and patron.
From Sport to Building a Movement
When Myron Byts was inducted into the Ukrainian Sports Hall of Fame in 2018, the accompanying profile highlighted his achievements. It stated that he was born to Pavlo and Yevheniia Byts in Detroit, Michigan; studied at the Ukrainian Catholic Immaculate Conception elementary and high school in Hamtramck, Michigan; attended Macomb Community College and Wayne State University. His love of sport and organizational skills developed at an early age. He participated in basketball, soccer, American football, volleyball, and table tennis (ping-pong). He began his sports organizational career as a member of the board of SUAST — the Ukrainian American Sports Association. He not only played on local volleyball teams in Detroit, Newark, and Whippany, New Jersey, but was also an active participant and organizer of numerous sporting events, including national and international hockey tournaments and charity games.
He is the founder and president, treasurer, and chair of the board of MCVC—the Morris County Volleyball Club — and president of USCAK (the Ukrainian Sports Federation of America and Canada). For two years, Myron chaired the “Ukrainian Cossacks” hockey and figure skating tournament against the New Jersey Devils. Later, he served as founder and president, treasurer, and chair of the board of the LYS Sports Academy. He is president of Legion Sports, a community youth sports organization. Myron was a board member of IUFT — the International Ukrainian Football Federation. He is a co-founder of the Ukrainian Sports Museum and the Ukrainian Sports Hall of Fame in Horsham, Pennsylvania. Together with his wife Khrystyna, he is a co-founder of “Ukrainian Heritage Night” with the New Jersey Devils in Newark, New Jersey. In recent years, he has served as an adjunct member of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine and is a member of the sports and youth committee of the World Congress of Free Ukrainians (WCFU). This year, for the first time, he is the chair of “Ukrainian Heritage Night” with the Philadelphia Flyers. Most recently, he became a co-producer of the documentary film “49 Ukrainians,” which will highlight 49 Ukrainians whose names are engraved on the NHL Stanley Cup. In addition, he has organized national and international sports tournaments, seminars, and sports camps; organized and delivered lectures at national and international levels; written press articles; and organized international general elections and conferences.
In my opinion, this description is insufficient. Moreover, when reading such inspired tributes — such as that written by Andrii Spidchuk, who stated, “A true leader and patriot! Myron Byts inspires with his vision, dedication to sport, and commitment to the Ukrainian cause. Thank you for your tireless work and for supporting Ukrainian youth in North America!” — can such a figure be overlooked? Certainly not. That is why we now have the opportunity to restore justice and more fully describe a true leader of Ukrainian sport in the United States.
To learn more about Myron Byts, I personally conducted an interview.
During our conversation, Myron Byts shared extremely interesting and unique life and sports stories. I concluded that his activities exemplify the promotion of Ukrainian traditions in the United States. At the same time, Myron Byts has never forgotten his Ukrainian roots. He has visited Ukraine — the homeland and native land of his parents, grandparents, and ancestors.
USCAK: Institutional Leadership
Myron Byts is a true leader of Ukrainian sport in the United States, and I will explain why. He has been president of USCAK since 2015 — eleven years to date. What is USCAK? It is the largest sports organization in the United States and Canada, uniting Ukrainian sport since 1955. To grasp the scale of its work, here are brief statistics on USCAK’s active history (figures may require updates for recent years): 49 annual tennis championships; 48 annual swimming championships; 39 annual volleyball championships; 38 annual chess championships; 21 Ukrainian Youth Sports Games; 20 USCAK track and field championships; 5 table tennis championships; 2 football championships; 16 football tournaments under USCAK patronage at the Ukrainian festival in New Jersey; 11 football tournaments under USCAK patronage at the Verkhovyna estate grounds; 2 Free Olympics in 1980 and 1984 organized by USCAK; and 3 Ukrainian Sports Olympics (1988, 2000, 2008) co-organized by USCAK. This is not a complete list of USCAK’s activities, including those under Myron Byts’s leadership.
Leading such an organization requires an authoritative and respected president, which Myron Byts is. It is no coincidence that he has served as USCAK president for over a decade. During this time, there have been numerous challenges — internal sporting issues as well as external geopolitical, social, and military ones. Yet, steadfast in his mission and principles, USCAK continues to function successfully today.
The Ukrainian Sports Museum and Hall of Fame
Among Myron’s many achievements, several powerful initiatives stand out — most notably the founding of the Ukrainian Sports Museum and the Ukrainian Sports Hall of Fame in the United States. Myron described these projects as follows: “This project, which had long been my dream, grew so quickly and came to meet everyone’s expectations. The museum is open, and we can proudly say it is the only museum of its kind in the diaspora. The Hall of Fame has gained widespread public interest. I would like to thank our Board for their tremendous work — especially Teodor Bodnar, the museum curator; Roman Bulavskyi, the marketing organizer; Bohdan Porytkov for his legal and sports advice; and my wife and partner Khrystyna Byts, whose words of support I cannot fully describe. Without this team, it would not have been possible.” Indeed, this was Myron’s dream, realized through his energy, determination, and the support of close friends, partners, and caring supporters. The unique museum operates in the U.S. and houses thousands of original artifacts documenting the history of Ukrainian sport and the Olympic movement. Ukrainians from around the world send their sports materials to the museum. Since 2016, outstanding athletes of the Ukrainian diaspora and from Ukraine have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Connection with Ukraine
Despite living and working in the United States, Myron Byts maintains close ties with Ukraine. Notably, his visits to Ukraine have combined family roots with professional sports engagements. The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine reported that during his visit, Mr. Byts and his wife Khrystyna met with Yurii Yuryk, Deputy Head of the Ternopil Regional State Administration; Vitalii Tril, Deputy Head of the Department of Physical Culture and Sports of the Ternopil Regional State Administration; and Vitalii Ihnatenko, Deputy Head of the NOC of Ukraine in the Ternopil region. Discussions focused on Ternopil’s sports infrastructure — particularly for football, hockey, and volleyball — and the possibility of developing joint initiatives to support sports and foster cooperation between Ternopil and the Ukrainian diaspora. During his visit, Myron Byts also toured Youth Sports School No. 2, seeing where future Olympians train, and visited the Ternopil Regional Football Federation. A fine example to follow — even while traveling, not forgetting the love of sport and its importance for youth.
Myron Byts and his wife also visited the Lviv region, where they held productive meetings to support and develop sport in Ukraine. The Lviv press enthusiastically reported that during their visit they met with Oksana Stokolos-Voronchuk, Deputy Head of the Lviv Regional State Administration; Roman Khimiak, Head of the Department of Physical Culture and Sports of the Lviv RSA; and Petro Zhukrovskyi, Head of the relevant commission of the Lviv Regional Council. At the main building of Ivan Boberskyi Lviv State University of Physical Culture, the leader of the organized sports movement of the Ukrainian western diaspora met with leadership of the NOC of Ukraine in the Lviv region, sports activists, and journalists.
Sport as Heritage and Responsibility
During the visit, the President of the Ukrainian Sports Federation of America and Canada, Myron Byts, explored the sports infrastructure of the Lviv region — particularly for football, hockey, and volleyball — and proposed developing joint ideas and projects to support physical culture and sport, strengthening cooperation between the Lviv region and the Ukrainian diaspora. Direct contacts were also established with heads of regional federations of hockey, football, and rowing, and the possibility of hosting a future world championship in football among Ukrainian diaspora teams in the Lviv region was discussed. This is truly a worthy example of a Ukrainian in the United States who has dedicated his life to the development of Ukrainian sport.
Another project Myron Byts joined is “Sporting Lineage.” I am grateful that Myron Byts (on behalf of USCAK), Renata Roman (World Sports Commission of the Ukrainian World Congress), and Vasyl Karlenko (Commission on “Ukrainians Abroad” of the NOC of Ukraine) supported my idea of conducting interviews with athletes of the Ukrainian diaspora. This project is essential to preserving the history of Ukrainian sport in the diaspora as a national heritage of Ukraine. Especially now, during Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, ancient Ukrainian wisdom reminds us: those who know their history achieve victory.
Thus, Myron Byts — a true leader of Ukrainian sport in the United States — has never forgotten his native land, Ukraine. We have much to be proud of.
Author: Oleksii Lyakh-Porodko
