Third Olympics and the position of the flag bearer
Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych, who took 11th place in the overall standings of the World Cup for the 2025/2026 season, talked about his status as the flag bearer at the upcoming Games. This will be his third Olympics in his career. He also noted that Ukrainian skeleton athletes failed to obtain a second license for Yaroslav Lavrenyuk. For Ukrainian skeleton, the season became historic: the team competed in all disciplines of the European Championship for the first time, where Maria Ivchuk also participated, competing in women's skeleton.
IOC's request and the return of Russians
In an interview conducted by Artem Khudoleyev for 'Glavkom', Heraskevych revealed the details of the pressure from the International Olympic Committee.
'After the protests of our junior team at the European Cup stage, we were approached and already warned and asked regarding the Olympics. Not to hold any actions against the war at the Olympics,' the athlete stated.
The skeleton athlete expressed concern over the return of Russian athletes to international sports.
'The dynamics in this matter overall is quite sad. Russians are increasingly returning, in some sports already with national symbols. Unfortunately, in our sport they also returned. It was not a decision of the IBSF congress, but a decision of the internal court of the IBSF,' he emphasized.
The reaction of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) to the Ukrainian protests, according to Heraskevych, was
'rather negative. They were very dissatisfied with our actions.'
Together with the journalist, the athlete submitted a list of Russian athletes for sanctions through a petition on the Cabinet's website on January 27, 2026.
'If these sanctions reach the international level... This is sufficient grounds for Russians to simply not be allowed into Europe, and later — into America and Canada,' Heraskevych noted.
He also listed the countries whose athletes were interested in the situation or supported the Ukrainian protests:
- Czech Republic
- Latvia
- Sweden
- Austria
- China
- USA
- Netherlands
- Brazil
- Germany
Such statements vividly illustrate the challenges faced by Ukrainian athletes forced to combine sports performances with political confrontation. Despite the pressure, the Ukrainian team continues not only to compete but also to advocate for its position on the international stage, which may affect relations between sports federations in the future. This underscores the pressing issues in global sports that have arisen against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.