Roman Bykhov, Vice-President of the Rugby Federation of Ukraine and assistant to the People's Deputy from the Servant of the People party, Maria Mezentseva-Fedorenko, found himself at the center of a scandal over the possible misappropriation of funds allocated for the development of youth rugby in the Kharkiv region.
According to open sources, the money that was supposed to be used to prepare the Ukrainian rugby 7s team (U18 girls) for the European Championship ended up in the official's pocket. Instead, Bykhov himself actively invested tens of thousands of dollars in his own new hobby - motorcycle racing.
The training camp for female athletes was held in July 2025 in Odessa, and the championship was held in Budapest from July 18 to 20. Ukraine was represented by girls from several regions, including the Kharkiv region, which were supposed to be financed from the local budget. But instead of supporting young athletes, the money was spent for other purposes. The girls went to the tournament thanks to sponsors and state subsidies.
Additional outrage was caused by Bykhov's own trip: he arranged a foreign business trip at state expense, but never attended the competition. While the Ukrainian rugby players were fighting for the result, the official chose the speed and comfort of his own hobby.
Despite this, on July 16, 2025, he was included in the composition of the arbitrators of the Court of Arbitration for Sport at the NOC of Ukraine. Such personnel policy only emphasizes that for some sports functionaries, their own interests remain more important than the development of Ukrainian sports.
