Neutral flags, rising stakes: Ukraine watches Moscow’s return at Milano Cortina 2026
At Milano Cortina 2026, 13 Russian and 7 Belarusian athletes compete under neutral banners as international sports bodies slowly ease bans, a move Ukraine opposes as undermining human rights commitments. Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych recalls his 2022 protest and weighs the implications of Russia’s and Belarus’s broader return to competition, while sports federations navigate legal challenges and IOC verification to keep politics from overshadowing the Games.
