Support for Ukraine at the Olympics: Swedes chant "Freedom", Italians "Forza Ucraina", Latvians say thank you in Ukrainian

From day one of covering the XXV Winter Olympic Games (Milan Cortina 2026), Champion's correspondent has been receiving daily words of support for Ukraine from both locals and fans who have travelled to Italy to cheer on their teams.

This time Ukraine's press quota is nine journalists and three photographers. The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine traditionally kits out accredited Ukrainian journalists with the Ukrainian Olympic team's apparel, so we've been wearing the same uniform as Ukraine's athletes while working at the venues. Most fans and volunteers assume we are part of the blue-and-yellow delegation and come over to us with words of support, offering to shake hands and sometimes reaching in for a hug.

Here's a description of a typical day I spent with a colleague, radio journalist Leonid Veselkov, at the XXV Winter Olympic Games. On the tram to the venue, some Italians came up to us, clasped our hands in a firm grip and broke into loud chants of "Forza Ucraina" (Go Ukraine!).

At Milan Cathedral we came across a small group of Latvians. The Baltic fans, wearing jackets emblazoned with the word "Latvia", turned towards us, raised their hands and said "Duzhe diakuiemo!" ("Thank you very much!") in almost accentless Ukrainian.

Twenty minutes later we encountered a Swedish family dressed in their national colours. Two children aged about 12 spotted us and burst into chants of "Freedom!", clapping in time as the adults warmly joined in.

It was an unexpected and very emotional moment. My one regret is that I didn't suggest taking a photo together with that big Swedish family. Ten minutes later we ran into a group of Canadians celebrating a victory. They put their arms around our shoulders and chanted "Go Ukraine!"

In the course of the day, we received about 10 requests from volunteers and fans to swap Ukrainian badges. I remember that even during our tour of the Olympic village, Ukrainian badges were the most popular. At the opening ceremony at San Siro, only the Italians drew louder cheers than the Ukrainians.

It's clear to us that despite all the talk of "war fatigue", support for Ukraine from Italians, Canadians, Scandinavians and people from the Baltic states remains unwaveringly strong.

Thanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, we Ukrainians are still seen as heroes by many. Yet challenges remain. An Italian cleaner in my apartment, to judge by our conversation, seemed openly Russophile, and the exchange laid bare how Russian narratives take hold.

He asked how many Ukrainians speak their native language now. I replied 60-70%. He pressed me, asking whether I meant 60-70% or 16-17%. When I told him that 95% of Ukrainians hate Putin in any language, he chose to end the conversation.

Maksym Rozenko

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