Volodymyr Chaikovskyi🇺🇦

🇳🇴🇺🇦 I’m Norwegian, you better believe the @Olympics have been part of my life for as long as I can remember, especially the Winter Olympics. Here on X, I’m rarely personal. I both assume, and hope, that most people who follow me now and from the most recent years, do so because they seek news and updates about Ukraine, and not about me — who I am or what I do. So this post is probably more personal than usual. But today it feels painfully relevant. During the last Summer Olympics (2024), I was part of the main reporting team for our national coverage. I was the lead correspondent for our “home team,” doing daily live reports from various locations and hometowns of our athletes. Not a single day went by without me visibly wearing and showing my support for Ukraine. Be it a pin of the blue and yellow, my trident bracelet or my Ukraine necklace. Mostly, it was all of them at the same time. It was visible in my EVERY SINGLE SEGMENT! NO ONE from our production team or audience objected to this! NOT A SINGLE PERSON questioned it as political or odd to wear the colors and/or a flag of another nation! On the contrary, It was acknowledged as an honorable, and more than anything: an appropriate gesture. I can’t even count the amount of times I was asked questions about my work in Ukraine and the reality of life there. It stated conversations, to me it was the bare minimum, but it ended up being part of the ground from where understanding and support grew from. And to me, that’s the biggest achievement. The winter Olympic is (for many reasons) even more exciting to be part of and to even watch, for us Norwegians. But right now, I feel more distant from it than ever. Not only have they forced Ukrainian athletes to stand face to face with the same people who is stealing their land and killing their people, (And I don’t care if they’ve asked these “neutral” athletes if they; “support the war or not”? Did they ask them what they have done to oppose it? No! Is there even a “neutral” answer to whether a genocide against another nation is right or wrong!? No! So there is that. There is no “neutral” in this war, And silence is only another weapon that benefits the aggressor.) But when hearing the IOC claim, that signs of remembrance and memorial is political, that’s where the “unity of sport” ends for me! This ban of @heraskevych has made me feel so disgusted about this entire organization and event, that I truly can’t even watch it. I’m always exited for my fellow Norwegians and their incredible achievements, but they don’t need an organization or a worldwide event for me to feel that way about them. No athletes does. Neither does a celebrity or a politician. Beyond talent and dedication, at the end of the day, what matters is what you stand for! Not numbers, money, popularity or rankings, but your level of empathy, care and respect for others. That’s not political. It’s basic humanity. And it should always be at the very center of what unites us. Like gatherings & competitions, sports & the Olympics. This is where we come together, and if one competitor cheats, steals and kill another, the judge should never tell an opponent it’s a violation to pay tribute to the victims or call out the wrongdoings. When we should understand by now, that the real violation is letting the criminals back in and ignoring every bit of foul play they have ever done to others. Wear the blue and yellow, say their names. Talks about Ukraine. Call out russia and show their many war crimes to the world! Your one voice don’t need a massive international stage to be heard, we can all create this echo together! You don’t need an audience, because WE ARE the audience. We set the tone for this show!