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Team USA ice dancer Vadym Kolesnik has shared an update on his financial situation after raising more than $20,000 in a GoFundMe campaign.
“Thank you so much to everyone who has donated and supported me,” Kolesnik, 24, wrote via the fundraiser’s page on Friday, January 23. “I am beyond grateful.”
Kolesnik, who qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy with partner Emilea Zingas, continued, “Because of your incredible generosity, I can now confirm that at least two of my family members are coming from Ukraine to support me at the Olympic Games. This would not have been possible without the outpouring of love and kindness from all of you.”
The athlete added that having the ability to “share such an important moment” of his life with his loved ones “means more to [him] than [he] can express, and knowing [he has] this amazing support system gives [him] so much strength every day.”
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for believing in me and helping make this dream come true,” Kolesnik concluded.
Kolesnik launched the GoFundMe earlier this month with a goal of $25,000 to ease the burden of his “significant financial challenges.” It has since raised $20,211.
“My name is Vadym Kolesnik, and I am a Ukrainian-born figure skater proudly representing Team USA in ice dance at the 2026 Winter Olympics,” Kolesnik wrote in the page’s description. “I have dedicated my life to pursuing excellence at the highest level of my sport. My partner was born and raised in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, and I have lived in Novi, Michigan, since 2017. I am proud to call Novi my [home] and have been training at the Novi Ice Arena for nine years.”
After describing his journey to the Olympics, Kolesnik added, “In recent years, my journey has carried extra weight as my homeland continues to face unimaginable hardship. While I train and compete internationally, my family remains in Ukraine, and being separated from them during such a pivotal moment in my career has been incredibly difficult.”
Kolesnik wrote that his training has required “extensive” resources, including “coaching fees, ice time, choreography, travel, and competition expenses.”
He continued, “In addition, my greatest personal hope is to be able to bring my family from Ukraine to safely attend the Olympic Games — to finally have them in the stands after years apart, witnessing the dream we’ve all sacrificed for together.”
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Kolesnik concluded, “Every contribution, no matter the size, helps relieve the financial burden and allows me to focus fully on training, competing, and honoring both the country that raised me and the country I now represent. Thank you for believing in my journey, for supporting Olympic dreams, and for helping turn this once-in-a-lifetime moment into something I can share with my family. Your generosity means more than words can express.”
Kolesnik and Zingas, 23, earned silver medals at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and were named to the United States Olympic team on January 11. They join ice dancing pairs Madison Chock & Evan Bates and Christina Carreira & Anthony Ponomarenko.
“For me, it’s a dream of my life to represent the U.S.,” Kolesnik said in a statement released by U.S. Figure Skating at the time. “Ever since I moved here at the age 15, I knew that I wanted to represent the U.S. and go to the Olympics and do my absolute best, so it’s an honor for me.”
