Vladyslav Heraskevych, of Ukraine, starts the men’s skeleton run 3 at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
BEIJING (AP) — A Ukrainian skeleton athlete ended his third run at the Beijing Olympics on Friday night by revealing a small sign to the cameras urging peace in his homeland.
The message from Vladyslav Heraskevych read: “No War in Ukraine.” The sign was printed on a blue-and-yellow piece of paper, matching the colors of Ukraine’s flag.
It is possible that the International Olympic Committee could consider Heraskevych’s act a violation of Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter. That rule, in part, states that “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”
Heraskevych’s action came on the same day that Britain’s defense secretary visited Moscow for talks on easing tensions amid massive Russian war games near Ukraine and a buildup of over 100,000 troops that has stoked Western fears of an invasion.
Russia’s stance is that it does not plan to invade Ukraine but wants the West to keep Ukraine and other former Soviet countries out of NATO. In an interview Thursday with NBC News, U.S. President Joe Biden repeated his warning that any Americans still in Ukraine should leave as soon as possible.
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