Despite the threat of the removal, Ukrainian athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych went against the International Olympic Committee’s rule as he created a fresh controversy.
Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Winter Olympics 2026 on Thursday due to his intentions to wear a helmet honouring Ukrainians who died in the war with Russia.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said that skeleton racer Heraskevych has been removed from the Milan-Cortina Games due to “refusing to adhere to the IOC athlete expression guidelines”.
Heraskevych’s elimination came 21 minutes before the first round of the men’s skeleton competition on Thursday in Cortina. The helmet Heraskevych was planning to wear carried pictures of Ukrainian sportspersons killed in Russia’s war against Ukraine, which began in 2022.
Why was Heraskevych removed from Winter Olympics?
Heraskevych had earlier received support from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but the IOC was against any such gesture.
“Having been given one final opportunity, skeleton pilot Vladyslav Heraskevych from Ukraine will not be able to start his race at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games this morning,” the IOC statement said.
The Olympic Games have banned the helmet of Ukrainian athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych that depicts portraits of Ukrainian athletes killed by Russia.
Meanwhile, “neutral” Russian athletes are allowed to compete without problems pic.twitter.com/uKeqUifHzZ
— Vatnik Soup (@P_Kallioniemi) February 10, 2026
“The decision followed his refusal to comply with the IOC’s Guidelines on Athlete Expression. It was taken by the jury of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) based on the fact that the helmet he intended to wear was not compliant with the rules.”
IOC allows athletes to express their views in press conferences and on social media. And it was also ready to make an “exception” for Heraskevych and allow him to wear a black armband during the heats.
The IOC also announced that president Kirsty Coventry spoke to Heraskevych on Thursday to change his decision, but the negotiations failed.
Coventry “explained to him, one final time, the IOC position. As in the personal meetings before, he refused to change his position,” the IOC added.
Heraskevych had famously unfurled the banner reading “No War in Ukraine” at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.
End of Article
