Overview
- Vladyslav Heraskevych will lead Ukraine into the Milan-Cortina opening ceremony on Friday as a flag bearer alongside speed skater Yelyzaveta Sydorko, heading a 46-athlete team.
- The 27-year-old skeleton racer competes on February 13 in Cortina d'Ampezzo at his third Winter Games and says a medal is realistic after finishing fourth at the 2025 world championships.
- He told CNN that Ukrainian athletes may protest the IOC decision to admit 13 Russians and 7 Belarusians as Individual Neutral Athletes, saying he disagrees with the criteria.
- Citing his 2022 Beijing "No war" message and a recent Innsbruck demonstration by sliders from Ukraine, Latvia and Sweden, he argued neutrality is undermined, though he will not face Russian or Belarusian skeleton athletes at these Games.
- He said his parents plan to attend, but some relatives in Ukraine may struggle to watch the ceremony because of widespread power blackouts, and he aims to keep global focus on the conflict.