Ukraine skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych disqualified from Winter Olympics over helmet honoring war dead

A Ukrainian athlete has been disqualified from the Winter Olympics over his insistence on wearing a helmet honoring people killed in his country’s war with Russia.

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The International Olympic Committee said in a statement early Thursday that skeleton racer Vladylsav Heraskevych, the Ukrainian flag bearer, was “not allowed to participate at Milano Cortina 2026 after refusing to adhere to the IOC athlete expression guidelines.”

The decision was announced shortly before Heraskevych was due to compete in the men’s skeleton competition, in which he was considered a legitimate medal contender.

“This is price of our dignity,” he said in a post on X shortly after meeting with the committee’s president, Kirsty Coventry. Heraskevych indicated he would appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The IOC made clear earlier this week that it felt his “helmet of remembrance” — featuring pictures of Ukrainian athletes killed during the war — contravened rules prohibiting any kind of political statement by competitors.

Heraskevych, who was been backed by president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has insisted the helmet does no such thing and wore it throughout training runs.

“Having been given one final opportunity, skeleton pilot Vladylsav Heraskevych from Ukraine will not be able to start his race at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games this morning,” the IOC said Thursday.

The decision was taken, the IOC said, by a jury of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation. Multiple meetings and exchanges were held between Heraskevych and IOC officials. But the committee said the athlete “did not consider any form of compromise.”

Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter states: “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”

The IOC insisted it was “very keen for Mr Heraskevych to compete” and offered him a compromise option of allowing him to wear the helmet during training and to display it immediately after the competition, or to wear a black armband to symbolize national mourning — but it drew a line at allowing him to wear the helmet while competing.

The IOC also noted that Heraskevych received an Olympic scholarship to compete in the last three Winter Games.

Russia invaded Ukraine just days after the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Heraskevych displayed a “No war in Ukraine” sign after his final run in Beijing, which the IOC said did not violate its charter as he was simply calling for peace.

But it felt differently this week. “The essence of this case is not about the message, it is about where he wanted to express it,” the IOC said.

Heraskevych said the images on his helmet feature figure skater Dmytro Sharpar, his 2016 Youth Olympic Games teammate, and boxer Maksym Halinichev among others killed during the war. Some of them were Olympians.

“Because of their sacrifice, we are able to compete here as a team. I will not betray them,” he said at a news conference Tuesday.

He has also been vocal about the presence of athletes who formerly represented Russia and Belarus at the Olympics, questioning their status and why the IOC has cleared them to compete.

Ukraine’s Olympic Committee said in a statement after the ruling Thursday: “Vladislav did not start today, but he was not alone — all of Ukraine was with him. Because when an athlete stands up for truth, honor and memory — this is already a victory.”