Ukrainian face of Games Heraskevych urges coalition against Russia’s Olympic return

July 7 : Skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, the Ukrainian face of the Milano Cortina Games after his helmet controversy, called on Tuesday for a coalition of national Olympic committees to oppose the IOC’s provisional lifting of Russia’s suspension and said visa bans and boycott talks should be on the table.

Heraskevych, who was disqualified from the 2026 Winter Olympics over a helmet carrying a message about Ukraine, told Reuters the IOC's decision was “absolutely shameful” and risked giving Russia a platform for propaganda.

“I believe that we should make a strong stand with other national Olympic committees, with other nations against this decision,” Heraskevych said.

Asked whether a boycott could be a solution, he said: “If we have a strong coalition.

“I hope we could organise some event and some meeting with the National Olympic Committee from other nations, without involvement of the IOC,” he added.

Russia’s Olympic committee was suspended in October 2023 for recognising regional Olympic councils in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine — Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — in violation, the IOC said at the time, of the Olympic Charter and the territorial integrity of Ukraine’s Olympic Committee.

The IOC said on Tuesday it had not yet decided whether Russia could display its flag and colours or have its anthem played at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the Olympic body did not condone war and would continue supporting Ukraine, but added that athletes should not “pay the price” for the actions of their government.

Heraskevych rejected the IOC’s reasoning, saying Russian sports federations were still active in occupied Ukrainian territories.

“First of all, because a lot of federations, sport federations in Russia are still operating in occupied territories,” he said.

“As we see it in bobsleigh, in the Russian bobsleigh federation, they are pretty actively doing some events in Crimea, in occupied Crimea.”

He said statute changes by the ROC were not enough if Russian sports bodies remained physically involved in occupied territories.

“So I didn’t see that in this regard, something was changed,” he said.

VISA BANS

Heraskevych also called for visa bans on Russian athletes who supported the war, saying governments hosting competitions could help to keep them out.

“I hope we will also see more visa bans for Russian athletes who are supporting this war,” he said.

“Because now, we are moving towards a situation where we won’t have any verification process. And so we could see like some military people also in a competition.”

He said athletes who supported the Russian army should be isolated and barred from entering countries staging international events.

“If we could work with nations to provide sanctions to people who are supporting war, who are clearly violating any natural, I would say, criteria, but also law, who are supporting the Russian army, they should be suspended and they shouldn’t be allowed to enter countries,” he said.

“I believe we can work towards that direction. And with that, I think we have some hope to keep this platform safe from Russian propaganda.”

Russian athletes competed as neutrals at the 2024 Paris Olympics and at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games.

The IOC said its executive board would continue to monitor any ROC activities in occupied Ukrainian territories and reserved the right to take further measures if necessary.

Heraskevych said the decision had come as Ukraine continued to suffer Russian attacks.

“On the background of this news, we have shellings just every other day in Ukraine,” he said.

“And today, even today, like this day, we have a day of mourning because a lot of victims were killed in a previous attack. And to see that Russian flags are now welcomed again, once again by the IOC, it’s absolutely shameful, and I cannot understand this decision."