Ukrainian Skeleton Racer Heraskevych Disqualified at Olympics Over Helmet Honoring Fallen Athletes
Source: Kyiv Post
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified hours before competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics after refusing to remove a helmet honoring athletes killed in Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Skeleton events at the Games were set to begin at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Heraskevych, 27, had been scheduled to compete but was barred from the start.
The International Olympic Committee has not publicly confirmed the disqualification.
The IOC had earlier banned Heraskevych from wearing the custom helmet, which features portraits of more than 20 Ukrainian athletes killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, including children.
Read more: https://www.kyivpost.com/post/69903
My hat is off to this brave Ukrainian athlete. We could use millions more young people with his moral clarity in today's world. He deserves 1,000 gold medals.
Slava Ukraini!! Heroyam Slava!! Slava NaViki!!
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As much as I sympathize with the Ukrainian athletes, I believe this ruling by the Olympic authorities is correct. Any kind of personal statement on clothing or equipment, displayed with good intentions by the athlete, would eventually become a problem.
Even our American athletes would start taking advantage, and I'm sure they all would do it down the line.
The athletes' personal political statements must be kept out of the Olympics .... or it all goes to hell.
It's personal, and it's not part of the uniform.
