Ukraine's top Olympic sliding contender said he is disappointed and frustrated with the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation's possible willingness to let Russian athletes compete in the upcoming Milan-Cortina Games, saying it would lead to countless issues including safety concerns and doping questions.
Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was fourth at last season's skeleton world championships, told The Associated Press that the decision by IBSF to throw out part of its own ruling banning Russian sliders from its competitions caught him by surprise. Russians have not been part of international sliding since that country invaded Ukraine in 2022.
“I don't understand this,” Heraskevych said in an interview from Sigulda, Latvia, where he is training for the upcoming season. “For me, it's unacceptable.”
He also said he would not feel safe competing alongside Russian athletes, out of concerns that some of them may be part of the war effort.
"If I’m on a track with Russian soldier, I’m not feeling safe," Heraskevych said. “What if it's the same soldiers now killing people in Ukraine?”
There is some confusion about what happens next, or what will happen when sliding season starts in earnest next month.
The IBSF, at its congress last month in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy — the sliding site for the upcoming Olympics — voted down a notion that could have let Russian athletes compete as individuals with neutral status. Luge officials made a similar decision months earlier, and all three of the sliding sports have kept Russian athletes from competing in international events such as World Cup races and world championships since the invasion occurred.
“For us, it was a closed question at the congress in Cortina d’Ampezzo,” Heraskevych said. “It was a vote, secret vote, results were pretty clear and for me it was kind of a closed chapter.”
It may no longer be closed. And the war rages on.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been trying to strengthen his country's position by seeking long-range Tomahawk missiles from the U.S., although President Donald Trump has waffled on whether he would provide them. Meanwhile, Russia continues to oppose any immediate ceasefire.
Russian bobsled and skeleton officials have said they now expect they will be able to compete immediately.
Even if Russians are allowed to compete in races that begin next month, it still isn't clear how many would have a realistic chance of qualifying for the Olympic field. There are other questions as well, such as if the potential Russian Olympians have gone through the doping tests that are necessary for eligibility and if any would meet the criteria in what's called the 5-3-2 rule — competing in a minimum of five IBSF competitions, on a minimum of three different tracks, in a two-year span.
“I would say this (IBSF decision) is very biased,” Heraskevych said. “It only takes into account the Russian side.”
Heraskevych spent about two months in Ukraine during the offseason. It was not easy. Sights and sounds of war were everywhere, he said. He spent some nights sleeping in corridors and basements for safety. Electricity is shut off in some places, water in others.
“It's what life was like 10 centuries ago,” Heraskevych said. “It is literally crazy.”
There were 28 sliders from Russia — 10 in luge, six in skeleton and 12 in bobsled — at the 2022 Beijing Games, though they competed under the Russian Olympic Committee flag and not the actual Russian flag. That was part of the sanctions levied against Russia for the state-sponsored doping scandal that overshadowed the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
The Beijing Games closed four days before the attack on Ukraine started. Russian athlete Tatyana Ivanova won a bronze medal in women’s singles luge. Heraskevych competed in those Beijing Games, grabbing headlines by displaying a “No War in Ukraine” sign after his third run.
Heraskevych is enormously popular among other sliders, and Ukrainian athletes often hear “Sláva Ukrayíni,” which translates to “Glory to Ukraine,” when they compete at World Cup stops in Europe and North America. He is likely to be a contender for what would be Ukraine's first Olympic skeleton medal.
“I feel that I’m among strongest athletes in the world in my sport and definitely our goal is fight for a medal,” Heraskevych said. “But for me, medals are not everything. We have much more important things in life — and the life of my fellow citizens is a more important thing for me than some medal going around my neck.”
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics
