The International Olympic Committee has disqualified 27-year-old Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych from competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics after he wore a helmet honoring fallen Ukrainian athletes killed in Russia's invasion during training sessions, Suspilne reports.
Heraskevych received the ban for violating Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, which restricts political demonstrations at Olympic venues. The helmet featured images of Ukrainian athletes who died as a result of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The athlete wore the memorial helmet during training sessions even after the IOC issued the ban. He appeared with it on the second training day when the prohibition was announced, then wore it again on the subsequent training day, the day before his scheduled Olympic start.
"If briefly, then no," Heraskevych said in response to the IOC's latest compromise proposal, according to Suspilne.
The IOC had offered various compromises, including allowing him to wear a black armband during Olympic runs or display the helmet in the mixed zone after his descent while maintaining the ban on competing in it. After the final meeting between Heraskevych and the organization, both sides maintained their positions.
The ban also extended to other Ukrainian athletes. The IOC prohibited Ukrainian freestyler Kateryna Kotsar from using her helmet, while the International Skating Union banned short-track skater Oleh Handei's helmet. Both athletes complied with the international organizations' demands, but Heraskevych chose to continue his protest.
Fellow Ukrainian Olympians showed support for Heraskevych's stance. Luge athlete Olena Smaha competed in women's singles with a glove reading "remembering is not a violation" on the same day the IOC banned Heraskevych's helmet. The following day, 20-year-old alpine skier Dmytro Shepiuk displayed a sticker on his glove supporting the skeleton racer.
The situation marks a sharp contrast to the IOC's response to Heraskevych's previous Olympic protest. At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, less than two weeks before Russia's full-scale invasion began, Heraskevych staged a "silent protest" after his run, holding a sign reading "No war in Ukraine." Despite potentially violating Rule 50, the IOC fully supported the Ukrainian athlete at that time, calling his protest "a call for peace."
"Everything was normal. They supported us in this. This is my position. No normal person wants war, and I am also a normal person and don't want war. I want peace in my country and don't want any people to die because of war," Heraskevych told Suspilne Sport in a comment.
The decision to ban Heraskevych received extensive coverage in leading international media outlets. Reuters headlined its story: "IOC 'begs' Ukrainian Heraskevych to compete without helmet honoring war dead, but athlete refuses to comply."
Heraskevych had been scheduled to compete with start number 11 in the first two Olympic runs on 12 February. Before the disqualification, he had appealed to the IOC to resolve the dispute and lift the ban on using the helmet, while also calling on the International Olympic Committee to transfer electric generators to Ukrainian sports facilities.
In recent years, Heraskevych has been one of the most vocal figures in Ukrainian sports addressing issues related to Russia's full-scale invasion. He has repeatedly spoken out against allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete even under neutral status and the partial lifting of sanctions, appealing to the IOC, the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, and other international organizations.
