The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has withdrawn Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladylsav Heraskevych’s accreditation for the 2026 Winter Games, meaning he will not be able to compete on Thursday.
The IOC said the decision was made because the helmet Heraskevych wanted to wear did not comply with the committee’s rules on athletes’ political expression. The helmet bore portraits of Ukrainian athletes who were killed in Russia’s invasion, a design the IOC deemed inconsistent with its guidelines.
The committee explained that it had previously attempted a compromise: Heraskevych was permitted to wear the helmet during all training runs and could have displayed it immediately after competition while passing through the “Mixed Zone”. The IOC noted that expressions of mourning differ worldwide and that such expressions may not be uniformly accepted.
Heraskevych offered a terse response. On social media, he wrote, “This is the price of our dignity”. He had earlier asserted in a video message that he never intended a scandal with the IOC and that he had not caused it. He stated that the IOC’s rule interpretation, which many see as discriminatory, created the problem. He also urged the IOC to supply generators as a sign of solidarity with Ukrainian sporting facilities that are daily targeted by shelling.
