Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych has been disqualified from the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics after refusing to remove a helmet honoring Ukrainian athletes and children killed in the war with Russia.
Just 21 minutes before the first round of the men’s skeleton event on February 12, the IOC barred him from competing, saying his “helmet of memory,” which featured 24 images of war victims, violated its Guidelines on Athlete Expression. He was stripped of his accreditation and made ineligible to compete or enter the athletes’ village.
The IOC had offered a compromise, allowing him to wear a black armband instead, but the 27-year-old declined.
Heraskevych said he “never wanted a scandal,” while IOC President Kirsty Coventry acknowledged the helmet’s powerful message but said a solution “for the field of play” could not be reached.