Ukrainian Olympic athlete out of Games over helmet

Ukrainian Olympian Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the men’s skeleton event on Thursday after he refused to use any other helmet other than the one honoring his country’s athletes who were killed in the war with Russia.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Heraskevych locked horns over the last three days about the helmet, which the organization said it bans due to rules against making political statements on the field of play. IOC President Kirsty Coventry even met with Heraskevych to try to change his mind before the event began, but to no avail.

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Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych arrives at the finish during a men’s skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

“We didn’t find common ground in this regard,” Heraskevych said.

Heraskevych received word from the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (IBSF), saying the helmet was “inconsistent with the Olympic Charter and Guidelines on Athlete Expression.” The IOC offered concessions to him, including wearing a black armband or the ability to display the helmet off the ice.

“I believe, deeply, the IBSF and IOC understand that I’m not violating any rules,” Heraskevych 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.”

Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych arrives at the finish during a men’s skeleton training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

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The IOC expressed “regret” over the decision.

“As you’ve all seen over the last few days, we’ve allowed for Vladyslav to use his helmet in training,” said Coventry, who at times shed tears while speaking to reporters. “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.”

Mykhailo Heraskevych, father of Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych, reacts as he sits next to the start house of the sliding center at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

The helmet included more than 20 Ukrainian athletes and coaches who were killed in the war.

Heraskevych didn’t exactly feel for Coventry, saying “In Ukraine now we also have a lot of tears.” He added that the decision “plays along with Russian propaganda.”

“Disqualified. I think that’s enough to understand what the modern IOC really is and how it disgraces the idea of the Olympic movement,” Ukrainian skier Kateryna Kostar wrote in a post on Instagram. “Vladyslav Heraskevych, for us and for the whole world, you’re a champion. Even without starting.”

Vladyslav Heraskevych of Ukraine during training as he wears a helmet in tribute to athletes who have died amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine on Feb. 11, 2026. (REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha)

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Heraskevych was a favorite to be in the top three in his event. After competing in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the war with Russia broke out, and he helped deliver food and supplies to his fellow Ukrainians.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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