The International Olympic Committee (IOC) revoked the accreditation of Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladylsav Heraskevych for the 2026 Winter Games, meaning he will not be able to compete on Thursday.
The decision was based on the helmet that Heraskevych wanted to wear. According to IOC guidelines on athlete expression, the helmet did not satisfy the requirements because it featured portraits of Ukrainian sportspeople who were killed in Russia’s war.
The committee explained that it had previously tried to find a compromise, allowing Heraskevych to wear the helmet during all training runs and to display it immediately after a competition when passing through the “Mixed Zone”. It added that ways of expressing grief vary around the world.
Heraskevych replied briefly, saying the ruling cost “our dignity”. In a video message he insisted he had never wanted to create a scandal and that the IOC’s interpretation of its rules-what many view as discriminatory-was the cause of the controversy. He has now demanded that the IOC supply portable generators to Ukrainian sports facilities that are subjected to daily shelling, as a gesture of solidarity.
