“Matter is closed” – Ukrainian Olympian Vladyslav Heraskevych flashes ‘No War’ sign; won’t face IOC punishment
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Vladyslav Heraskevych
Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych flashed a small sign on Friday that read “No War in Ukraine” to the cameras. The incident took place when he finished a run at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Heraskevych’s sign was printed on a blue-and-yellow sheet of paper, matching the colours of his country’s flag. However, he did not display the message after his second run of the night, which was his fourth and final run of the Games.
“It’s my position. Like any normal people, I don’t want war,” Heraskevych said during an interview with the Associated Press. “I want peace in my country, and I want peace in the world. It’s my position, so I fight for that. I fight for peace.”
Heraskevych stated: “In Ukraine, it’s really nervous now. A lot of news about guns, about weapons, what’s to come in Ukraine, about some armies around Ukraine. It’s not okay. Not in the 21st century. So I decided, before the Olympics, that I would show my position to the world.”
“I hope the Olympics will [support] me in this situation. Nobody wants war,” said Heraskevych, who ended his medal-less stint at Beijing 2022. “I hope it helps … make peace in our country.”
“This was a general call for peace” – IOC Spokesperson
Reacting to this “political” incident in Beijing, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) refused to probe into the matter and announced no punishment for the 23-year-old athlete.
“This was a general call for peace. For the IOC the matter is closed,” an IOC spokesperson said.
On Friday, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Russian troops were “in a position to be able to mount a major military action” in Ukraine.
He added: “We obviously cannot predict the future, we don’t know exactly what is going to happen, but the risk is now high enough and the threat is now immediate enough that [leaving] is prudent.”
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Sachin Arora
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