Ukrainian skeleton slider Vladyslav Heraskevych has been disqualified from the 2025 Winter Olympics due to helmet controversy.
The disqualification comes as Heraskevych decided to participate in the Winter Games by wearing his “commemorative helmet” in honor of the athletes who have died since the Russian invasion.
According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the 27-year-old not only violated guidelines for athletes’ expression, but also ignored a personal appeal from the IOC head.
The skeleton racer was banned and stripped of his accreditation before the competition was due to start.
“I am disqualified from the race. I will not get my Olympic moment. They have been killed, but their voices are so loud that the IOC is afraid of them,” Heraskevych said.
However, the disqualification did not come without warning or effort as IOC President Kristy Coventry tried to break the deadlock, but the Ukrainian remained true to his decision.
The International Olympic Committee issued a statement: “After being given one last chance, skeleton pilot Vladylsav Heraskevych of Ukraine will not be able to start his race this morning at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.”
“The decision followed his refusal to comply with the IOC guidelines on athlete expression. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has therefore decided with regret to withdraw its accreditation for the Milano Cortina 2026 Games,” the statement said.
According to Heraskevych’s team, they would appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Ukraine’s Olympic Committee also announced plans to protest the unjustified decision, but showed no signs of boycotting the Games.
