Disqualification tore my soul apart, ruined years of work – Mykhailo Heraskevych 

Mykhailo Heraskevych, coach of Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, said that his protégé and son’s suspension from competition ruined his life’s work. He said this during a briefing at the Ukraine Media Center.

“This is not about four years of training. The training began on the day Vladislav was born. We have been involved in skeleton for 11 years, and all these 11 years we have invested incredible effort, time, and significant resources, because this sport is very expensive. At the moment of disqualification, it tore my soul apart. That feeling has not gone away – so many years of work have been crossed out. But, analyzing what happened and talking to Ms. Coventry (head of the International Olympic Committee – ed.), it became clear that the IOC was under strong pressure. It is quite obvious that this pressure came from Russia. It is very unfortunate that there is a sports organization in the center of Europe that is completely under the influence of Russia,” he said. 

He added that despite the pain, another force had grown – to strengthen the fight for Ukraine. Mykhailo Heraskevych called on Ukrainian athletes to continue the fight against Russia, but not to violate the rules of the Olympic Committee.

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