Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was barred from competing at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games on Thursday after declining a request from Olympic officials to replace a helmet bearing the images of more than 20 Ukrainian athletes and coaches killed in the war with Russia.
The decision, communicated less than an hour before the start of the men’s skeleton event in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The governing bodies said the helmet contravened rules governing athlete expression on the field of play.
The IOC proposed alternatives, including wearing a black armband during competition.
According to IOC President Kirsty Coventry, officials were attempting to find a compromise that would respect the message of remembrance while adhering to existing regulations.
“As you’ve all seen over the last few days, we’ve allowed Vladyslav to use his helmet in training,” Coventry told reporters at the sliding centre. “No one, no one — especially me — is disagreeing with the messaging. The messaging is a powerful message. It’s a message of remembrance. It’s a message of memory and no one is disagreeing with that. The challenge that we are facing is that we wanted to ask or come up with a solution for just the field of play.”
Coventry met Heraskevych shortly after 8 a.m. local time at the top of the track, where competitors began their runs. The meeting lasted about 10 minutes but did not produce an agreement.
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“Sadly, we’ve not been able to come to that solution,” she said. “I really wanted to see him race today. It’s been an emotional morning.”
Heraskevych said he believed his actions did not breach Olympic rules and described the outcome as discriminatory.
“I believe, deeply, the IBSF and IOC understand that I’m not violating any rules,” he said. “Also, I would say it’s painful that it really looks like discrimination because many athletes already were expressing themselves. They didn’t face the same things. So, suddenly, just the Ukrainian athlete in this Olympic Games will be disqualified for the helmet.”
The helmet features the faces of more than 20 Ukrainian sports figures who have died since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Heraskevych, 25, has been among the most visible Ukrainian winter athletes to speak publicly about the war.
In discussions with IOC officials, both sides acknowledged that the images on the helmet would be difficult to discern during competition, as skeleton racers descend the track at speeds exceeding 120 kilometres per hour.
Olympic officials suggested that limited visibility could offer grounds for a compromise. Heraskevych declined to change equipment for the race.
Under the Olympic Charter’s Rule 50 and related guidelines, athletes are restricted from making political, religious or personal statements on the field of play, though certain forms of expression are permitted outside competition areas and during training.
The IOC has in recent years sought to clarify those boundaries following high-profile demonstrations at previous Games.
Heraskevych indicated he would appeal the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
However, the men’s skeleton competition was already underway on Thursday, with medals scheduled to be decided on Friday.
Even if CAS were to review the case, Heraskevych’s opportunity to compete at these Games would not be restored.
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He had entered the event as a potential medal contender. The Ukrainian finished fourth at last year’s world championships and posted competitive times in training runs in Cortina.
His coach and father, Mykhailo Heraskevych, criticised the decision. “The International Olympic Committee destroyed our dreams,” he said. “It’s not fair.”
The ruling prompted reactions from other athletes. Ukrainian skier Kateryna Kotsar wrote on Instagram: “Disqualified. I think that’s enough to understand what the modern IOC really is and how it disgraces the idea of the Olympic movement. Vladyslav Heraskevych, for us and for the whole world, you’re a champion. Even without starting.”
Heraskevych argued that other expressions of remembrance had been permitted during the Games. He cited U.S. figure skater Maxim Naumov, who brought a photograph of his late parents to the kiss-and-cry area after his performance earlier this week.
He also referred to Israeli skeleton athlete Jared Firestone wearing a kippah at the opening ceremony bearing the names of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches killed in the 1972 Munich attack.
“A competitor literally placed the memory of the dead on his head to honour them,” Heraskevych wrote on Instagram. “I frankly do not understand how these two cases are fundamentally different.”
The IOC did not immediately respond to detailed questions about those comparisons but reiterated that each case is assessed under existing guidelines.
The men’s skeleton competition in Cortina continues with final runs scheduled for Friday, when medals will be awarded. CAS has not indicated when it might consider Heraskevych’s appeal.