Shortly before Team USA ice dancer Vadym Kolesnik was named to the 2026 Olympic team, he faced a difficult test off the ice — quite literally.
Kolesnik, who was born in Ukraine, needed to pass a United States citizenship test in order to compete for Team USA.
So, with his partner, Emilea Zingas, in tow, Kolesnik, 24, headed to a U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services office in Troy, Michigan, on August 10 for the exam.
“He was really nervous,” Zingas told the Detroit Free Press in a story published on Sunday, February 1.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates both remember the moment everything changed. The Team USA ice dancers — widely regarded as the best duo in the world and the favorites to win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy — were originally paired together in 2011. Over time, however, their professional partnership blossomed into something […]
In an oral civics test, Kolesnik was tasked with answering 10 out of 100 possible questions picked at random. Applicants have to answer six out of the 10 questions correctly.
Questions include “What is freedom of religion?,” “Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?” and “What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?”
“We were in the car on the way,” Zingas recalled. “He was driving, and I’m quizzing him, and he’s getting some of the answers wrong, and he had been getting 100 percent right for weeks leading up to this.”
Once the test began, however, Kolesnik began acing it with ease.
“In my head, I’m like, ‘Wait, I have one more question,’” Kolesnik said. “’If I answer this, I’m done. This is all.’”
Kolesnik passed the test and the interview portion of the process, which meant citizenship was his. But he still wanted to make his partner sweat a little bit.
“I’m waiting in the waiting room,” Zingas said. “I’m so nervous. I’m like, praying to God that he passed this test, that the interview went well.”
After emerging from the test, Kolesnik had a sad look upon his face.
“My heart dropped,” Zingas said. “I’m thinking, this cannot be happening. It felt like my world was over.”
But then Kolesnik started screaming, “I passed! USA, baby!”
“He’s running around,” Zingas remembered. “In that moment, we were so happy.”
Kolesnik added, “It means the world to me.”
The pair was officially named to the 2026 Olympics team last month, which led to Kolesnik creating a GoFundMe page with the goal of raising $25,000.
“As I prepare for the Olympics, I am facing significant financial challenges,” Kolesnik wrote. “Elite-level training requires extensive resources, including coaching fees, ice time, choreography, travel, and competition expenses.”
He added, “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.”
Kolesnik provided an update on January 23, revealing that he had raised enough money to bring “at least two” of his family members to the Olympics.
“This would not have been possible without the outpouring of love and kindness from all of you,” he wrote.
The 2026 Winter Olympics from Milano Cortina, Italy, officially start on Wednesday, February 4, with the Opening Ceremony on Friday, February 6, the same day the team figure skating competition begins.