Russian citizen Olga Laieva has been assigned as the media manager for the biathlon venue in Antholz-Anterselva at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy — a key competition site and an important location for the Ukrainian team.
The Ukrainian publication Champion reported this, citing an accredited Olympic journalist who found Laieva’s name listed in official media materials.
Previously, Laieva attempted to work at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris but was removed from the organizing team.
Afterward, she publicly claimed that it is “practically impossible to work” in Europe due to political decisions, while acknowledging that she maintained contacts with the Milan-Cortina 2026 organizing committee.
In interviews with Russian media, she also expressed the view that the international Olympic movement is allegedly in decline, citing a decreasing number of countries willing to host the Games.
“It’s not entirely clear why Laieva was so eager to work at both Paris 2024 and Milan-Cortina 2026. Unfortunately, her social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram are private,” Champion said.
The publication announced its intention to appeal to the 2026 Games organizers to review this staffing decision. It has begun collecting signatures from Ukrainian journalists and photographers accredited for the Olympics and is calling on the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine and professional media organizations to join the initiative.
The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place in Italy on Feb. 6-22, with athletes from 85 countries competing for 116 sets of medals across 16 sports.
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