Former Ukrainian Olympic skater Oksana Baiul is speaking out after she lost custody of her daughter.
“As I’m sure anyone who has ever been through a separation or divorce knows, it is a lengthy and often devastating journey,” Baiul, 48, wrote via Facebook on Monday, January 5. “Divorce is hard enough, but when there is a child involved they must be the priority. As a mother, I ask that you please respect our privacy at this time as we move forward building our new future…..”
Luxury Handbag Shopping exclusively reported on Monday that Baiul’s ex-husband, Carlo Farina, was given sole custody of their 11-year-old daughter, Sophia, as part of their divorce agreement. Baiul and Farina, who had been married for 13 years, informed the court in October 2025 that they had reached a deal covering custody, support and division of their shared property.
The agreement gave Farina primary custody and allowed him to move from Louisiana to Las Vegas with their daughter. Baiul is allowed to see her daughter if Sophia agrees to visits, per the deal.
The docs stated that Baiul agreed to enroll in anger management classes and be tested for alcohol and drugs to “ensure she is remaining sober.”
Baiul tied the knot with Farina, her manager, in 2012. Three years later, the former couple welcomed daughter Sophia. Farina filed for divorce from Baiul after 13 years of marriage in June 2025, claiming in court docs obtained by Us that the pair separated in 2022.
At the time of his June 2025 filing, Farina alleged that he and Baiul were living in different homes in Louisiana. He asked for sole custody of their daughter, Sophia, with Baiul receiving supervised visitation due to her having an alleged“history of extreme physical, emotional, mental and verbal abuse” toward him. He further claimed that the alleged abuse was captured on cameras in their former home.
In an August 2025 response, Baiul denied all allegations of wrongdoing and claimed in her filing that the pair split on June 12, 2025 — not three years before. She opposed Farina’s plea for sole custody of their daughter and asked the court to award the parents joint custody.
Baiul also accused Farina of being “psychologically abusive” toward her and their daughter. She alleged that videos he presented in court showed him being abusive, not her. The exes reached an agreement that resolved the case weeks later.
Ahead of her divorce from Farina, Baiul — who won Gold in the ladies’ single ice skating at the 1994 Winter Olympics — was arrested for a DUI in 1977 and subsequently checked into a rehabilitation program. She later shared that struggles with alcohol began when she started performing in ice skating tours.
“Except myself, nearly all the figure skaters on the bus were grown-ups, and it was full of alcohol. Most of the skaters were Russians and Americans, and they all drank,” Baiul told the Tribuana in 2015. “That’s when I tried it. I was very young, with no one to teach me the right. I thought it was the norm, ’cause as a teenager you don’t want to break away from the majority.”
