Ukrainian Olympian pushes for US visa bans on Russian athletes for 2028 Games

Ukrainian skeleton racer and Olympian Vladyslav Heraskevych visited Washington, D.C., in September 2026 for the Ukraine Action Summit, where he campaigned to keep Russian athletes out of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. His central demand is practical: that the United States refuse visas to Russian athletes who support the war, so they cannot enter the country to compete.

Key facts

• 13 September 2026: Heraskevych attended the Ukraine Action Summit in Washington, D.C.
• The campaign targets Russian athletes at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics
• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) provisionally lifted its suspension of Russia in July
• The U.S. State Department says each visa application is decided case by case

What is the campaign asking for?

Heraskevych is working on a joint project with Razom for Ukraine focused on advocacy to exclude Russian athletes. He argues that visa bans are a realistic way to achieve that, because competitions happen in specific countries and cities, and athletes who cannot obtain visas cannot enter to take part.

He pointed to Latvia as an example: during the Luge World Cup, he said, Russian athletes were effectively kept out of competition because they could not get visas and so could not enter the country. His stated goal for 2028 is to ensure that Russian athletes who support the war cannot enter the United States.

Why is this being raised now?

The IOC provisionally lifted its suspension of Russia in July, opening the way for Russian teams to return to the Olympic fold ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. IOC President Kirsty Coventry said in July that athletes should not be punished for the actions of their governments.

Ukraine's sports minister Matvii Bidnyi questioned why the IOC changed its rules when, in the war, "nothing changed." He told The Associated Press after the decision that "the situation became even worse."

What does the United States say about visas?

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the country is well prepared to welcome legitimate travellers from around the globe for the 2028 Summer Olympics and will not waver in upholding U.S. law and the highest standards of national security and public safety in its visa process.

The State Department noted that each visa application is adjudicated on a case-by-case basis after rigorous review and thorough vetting to determine whether the individual is eligible under U.S. law. No separate visa policy for athletes has been announced.

What this means for travellers

For people planning to attend the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the practical point is that U.S. visa decisions remain individual: every application is reviewed on its own merits. Heraskevych's campaign is aimed at Russian athletes specifically, and no general change to U.S. visa rules for visitors has been announced.

Heraskevych gained international prominence after being disqualified from the 2026 Winter Olympics for wearing a helmet honouring Ukrainian athletes killed in the war. He said that with what he called "war fatigue" reducing coverage of Ukraine abroad, stories like his helmet incident help audiences understand the situation better than statistics alone.