Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych is disqualified by the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics after declining to switch his helmet featuring Ukrainian athletes and coaches who were murdered in the war with Russia.
Milan Cortina Winter Olympics 2026: What Happened Here?
The president of COC Kirsty Coventry had a meeting with Heraskevych privately just before the men’s skeleton race, but he refused to compromise. Representing the decision of the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, Heraskevych said that she would take the case to the Court of Arbitration, and it was a time of great emotional emptiness.
The IOC claimed that it did this with regret, and the problem was not the message, but its placement. The committee in a statement stated that they had made numerous attempts to reach a respectful solution that would enable Heraskevych to play and at the same time adhere to the Olympics regulations that prohibit the use of political statements in the field of play. Coventry was being openly emotional when speaking to the media because he recognizes the importance of a memorial to fallen athletes but it is important to retain the Olympic neutrality.
Ukraine-Russia War And Milan Cortina Winter Olympics 2026
Heraskevych came to the Games with a specially designed helmet with over 20 Ukrainian athlete and coach faces that had been killed since the invasion by Russia started in 2022. Although he was advised at the beginning of the week that the helmet would not be allowed in competition, he used it during training sessions on the ground that it was not against the regulations of IOC. The disqualification was also more painful as he was a medal candidate. Conversely, the IOC had already permitted him to carry a sign saying No war in Ukraine at the Beijing Games in 2022, and this time it was seen as a sign of peace and not a political message.
