MOSCOW, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Maria Sharapova is giving Chernobyl disaster victims a voice as the Russian tennis star embraces her new role as a United Nations goodwill ambassador.
The Times of London said the 19-year-old tennis player has donated funds to help the victims of the 1986 nuclear disaster.
While Sharapova's parents left the region around the Chernobyl plant before it began leaking radiation, her grandmother still lives the area. "This definitely means a lot to me and my first priority will be to call attention to the lingering effects of Chernobyl," the tennis star said.
The Russian Academy of Medical Sciences said that 212,000 people have died due to the nuclear plant disaster and countless more Russian citizens have been uncompensated for illnesses linked to the tragedy.
While some of those citizens doubt Sharapova's effort will make a difference, 69-year-old Zoya Klimakina remains optimistic.
"She can bring attention to our problems," she said of the athlete. "I don't want her money. All I'm asking is what I'm owed by the state."
