The International Olympic Committee has withdrawn the accreditation of Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladylsav Heraskevych for the 2026 Winter Games, meaning he will not be able to compete this Thursday. The IOC said the helmet Heraskevych had wanted to wear did not meet its guidelines on athletes’ expressions of opinion. The helmet bore portraits of Ukrainian sportspeople who were killed in Russia’s war of aggression.
The committee explained that it had previously sought a compromise. Heraskevych was allowed to wear the helmet during all training runs, and could have displayed it immediately after the race when passing through the “Mixed Zone”. However, the IOC added that expressions of grief are not universally understood or accepted around the world.
Heraskevych offered only a brief reply. “This is the price of our dignity” he wrote on social media. He had earlier insisted, in a video message, that he never intended to create a scandal with the IOC and that he had not caused it. He says the IOC’s interpretation of its rules, which many see as discriminatory, has created the situation. He is urging the committee to supply power generators to Ukrainian sports facilities that are being bombed every day, as a sign of solidarity.
