Dr. Musar received the highest award of Ivan Boberskyi University from Lviv, Ukraine
Dr. Aleš Musar was awarded the Honorary Distinction named after Ivan Boberskyi at the ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the Ivan Boberskyi State University of Physical Culture in Lviv, Ukraine. He received this award for his work in preserving and promoting the cultural heritage that links the histories of Slovenia and Ukraine.
Publish date Lviv, Ukraine,
In the years preceding World War I, Professor Ivan Boberskyi was an outstanding Ukrainian educator, an organizer of physical education, and a founding figure of the Ukrainian tradition of physical culture and sport - achievements that earned him the title "Father of Ukrainian Sport." He was also a leader of the Sokol movement in Western Ukraine, a Ukrainian patriot, and one of the leaders of the West Ukrainian Republic, representing it in the United States and Canada. Unable to return to his homeland following the Bolshevik victory, he initially remained in America before moving in 1932 to Tržič, his wife's hometown. He worked as a correspondent for Ukrainian émigré newspapers, covering events such as the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He passed away in 1947 in Slovenia, leaving behind approximately 40 boxes of manuscripts, clippings, photographs, and other materials. These are held by the National and University Library of Slovenia (NUK) but have remained unexamined for nearly 80 years.
The citation accompanying this prestigious award - which the university ranks higher than an honorary doctorate or honorary professorship - reads as follows:
“At the initiative and with the assistance of Dr. Aleš Musar, the issue of systematically researching the archival legacy of Ivan Boberskyi, held in Ljubljana, was brought to the forefront. In August and September 2026, representatives of our university conducted a systematic study of materials from Ivan Boberskyi’s legacy at the National and University Library of Slovenia as part of the project "Historical Residences 2.0: The Ukrainian Factor in the History of Glorious Victories."
Thus, thanks to the attention and support of Dr. Aleš Musar, Ivan Boberskyi’s legacy is becoming a significant subject of further scholarly research and, at the same time, a living historical bridge connecting Ukraine and Slovenia.”
The research and classification of Ivan Boberskyi’s archive will provide researchers from Lviv with new insights into his life and activities in exile, while the National and University Library will be able to incorporate the processed materials into its public and digital collections.
