UKRAINIAN SKELETON RACER DISQUALIFIED FROM WINTER OLYMPICS OVER WAR-THEMED HELMET
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Agency Report
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych has been disqualified from the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics after refusing to remove a helmet depicting victims of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The 27-year-old athlete had insisted on wearing the helmet, which features images of Ukrainian sportsmen and women killed since the war began in 2022. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Thursday that his accreditation had been withdrawn for failing to comply with its athlete expression guidelines.
“The decision followed his refusal to comply with the IOC’s Guidelines on Athlete Expression,” the IOC said in a statement, adding that the ruling was taken by the jury of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) because the helmet was not compliant with competition rules.
Under the Olympic Charter, political gestures during competition are prohibited. While athletes are permitted to express views during press conferences, in mixed zones, or on social media, competition attire must adhere strictly to IOC regulations.
Earlier in the week, the IOC said it would make an exception by allowing Heraskevych to wear a plain black armband during competition. It also permitted him to display the helmet during training runs and offered him the opportunity to show it immediately after competing.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry reportedly met with Heraskevych in a last-minute effort to persuade him to change his mind. IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said the president was “very emotional” following the meeting, noting that significant effort had gone into shaping the athlete expression guidelines.
“We dearly wanted him to compete,” Adams said. “It is not about his message… it is the place. We cannot have athletes having pressure put on them by their political masters.”
Heraskevych described the decision as “totally wrong,” arguing that other athletes in similar situations had not faced sanctions. Posting on X after the ruling, he wrote, “This is the price of our dignity,” alongside an image of the helmet.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky defended the athlete’s right to wear the helmet, while Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga condemned the IOC’s action as “a moment of shame,” saying the body had “banned not the Ukrainian athlete, but its own reputation.” Ukraine’s Sports Minister Matviy Bidnyi indicated that legal action could follow.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed it had not received an appeal from Heraskevych, though he retains the option to challenge the decision.
Outside the Cortina Sliding Centre, Ukrainian supporters expressed anger over the ruling. One fan, Irina Nalivayko from Kyiv, said the images on the helmet represented “real people that died because of the Russian invasion,” adding that the war’s impact remains deeply felt at home.
Heraskevych had previously displayed a “No War in Ukraine” banner at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, days before Russia launched its full-scale invasion. The conflict has since devastated parts of Ukraine, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions.
AFP
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