American figure skater Vadym Kolesnik has been reunited with family members from war-torn Ukraine at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, thanks to a GoFundMe campaign that raised enough money to fly them to Italy. The 24-year-old, who obtained US citizenship last summer, had not seen his relatives in four years – a period that saw Russian bombs destroy their homes and business in Kharkiv, and his brother enlist in the Ukrainian army.
Kolesnik, who competes in ice dance with partner Emilea Zingas, said he was “so, so thankful” after meeting Snezhana Kolesnik and Irina Kobchenko at the Milano Ice Skating Arena. The fundraising page had set a modest target of $25,000 in January, shortly after Kolesnik qualified for the Games, and that sum was easily surpassed by the time his family landed.
Kolesnik came to the US in 2016 for a tryout with coach Igor Shpilband, but faced visa difficulties and was largely on his own until his mother, Svitlana, joined him around three years ago. His father remained in Ukraine to care for his grandmother, while his brother went to war. The skater said he has learned to compartmentalise the conflict to focus on his sport, using sports psychology to block out the daily reports of friends killed or injured.
Kolesnik expressed strong opposition to Russian athletes competing at the Games, calling Russia “a terrorist country” that has “no place” until the war ends. Several Russian figure skaters have been cleared to compete as neutrals after vetting. His mother chose not to travel to Italy on legal advice, fearing re-entry issues despite having a valid visa; Kolesnik hopes to secure a green card for her so she can stay indefinitely.
Kolesnik and Zingas open their Olympic campaign with the rhythm dance on Monday night. Any leftover GoFundMe money will be used for training and coaching costs after the Games.
