The IOC has paved the way for Russia to host the 2028 Olympics; Geraskevich calls for the formation of an international coalition to oppose this decision
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, who became one of the symbols of Ukrainian sporting resistance following the 2026 Winter Olympics, in an interview with Reuters described the IOC’s decision as “utterly shameful” and stated that it risks turning the Olympic Games into a platform for Russian propaganda.
“We must form a strong coalition of National Olympic Committees and other nations to oppose this decision,” Geraskevich said.
The Ukrainian athlete also proposed organising a separate meeting of national Olympic committees without the IOC’s involvement.
Among the possible means of exerting pressure, he mentioned discussing a boycott.
Furthermore, Geraskevich called on countries hosting international competitions to impose visa restrictions on Russian athletes who openly support the war or have links to the Russian army. In his view, such athletes should not be allowed to compete on the international stage.
As reported, on 7 July, the IOC Executive Board provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, which had been in place since October 2023.
At that time, Russia was suspended due to the inclusion within the ROC of sports organisations from the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories – the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions – which the IOC deemed a violation of the Olympic Charter.
According to IOC President Kirsty Coventry, Russia has reported that it no longer includes these organisations within its Olympic Committee, whilst the IOC itself will continue to monitor the situation.
At the same time, the organisation has not yet decided whether Russian athletes will be able to compete at the 2028 Olympics under the national flag, with the national anthem and other national symbols. For the time being, the discussion centres solely on granting access to international qualifying tournaments.
As the agency notes, even following the IOC’s decision, Russia will not automatically be reinstated into world sport.
Some international federations are maintaining their own sanctions. In particular, World Athletics has already confirmed that it will continue to bar Russian and Belarusian track and field athletes from international competitions, regardless of the IOC’s decision
According to experts, this could lead to a situation where Russians return to some sports but remain suspended from others.
Heraskevych emphasises that there are no grounds for lifting the sanctions, as, according to him, Russian sports federations continue to operate in the occupied Ukrainian territories, particularly in Crimea.
“We see shelling of Ukraine almost every day. And against this backdrop, Russian flags may once again return to the Olympics. This is absolutely shameful,” said the Ukrainian athlete.
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