Why was Vladyslav Heraskevych disqualified from Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics? Helmet controversy explored

Vladyslav Heraskevych thought he was about to race for an Olympic medal. Instead, just 21 minutes before the men’s skeleton event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, he was told he could not compete. The International Olympic Committee removed his accreditation after he refused to take off what he called his “helmet of memory.” The helmet carried 24 small images of Ukrainian athletes and children killed since Russia invaded Ukraine. The IOC said the design broke its athlete expression rules under Article 50 of the Olympic Charter, which bans political statements during competition.

For Heraskevych, this was not politics. It was remembrance. But the IOC said rules are rules. The disagreement quickly turned into one of the biggest talking points of the Games.




Vladyslav Heraskevych is Ukraine’s first Olympic skeleton racer. He was born on January 12, 1999. Before skeleton, he tried boxing. He began sliding in 2014, coached by his father, Mykhailo Heraskevych. Step by step, he improved. In 2016, he finished eighth at the Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer and 17th at the Junior World Championships in Winterberg. A year later, he placed 10th at the Junior Worlds in Sigulda. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he also helped deliver food and supplies at home. At Milano Cortina 2026, he was chosen as one of Ukraine’s flag bearers at the Parade of Nations.

Why Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics over his “helmet of memory”

The trouble began shortly before his race. The IOC said the helmet did not follow its Guidelines on Athlete Expression. The rule they cited, Article 50, does not allow political statements on the field of play. According to the IOC, despite several meetings, Heraskevych would not agree to changes. They even suggested a black armband as a compromise. He said no.

Speaking to German broadcaster ZDF, Vladyslav Heraskevych said, “I believe they deserve this moment. Certainly I do not get my moment at this Olympics, despite I would say pretty good results in the training runs. I really believe we could be among the medallists today and tomorrow, but we will not be able to race.”

He added, “Yesterday we had a formal meeting and today we had one just before the race with Mrs Coventry here, at the venue - me, my dad, and Mrs Coventry. In Ukraine now, we also have a lot of tears and I don’t want to downsize her feelings, but I believe that we should be controlled by the rules and I believe that we didn’t violate it.”

He continued, “I want to also thank her for kind words, what she told me in this meeting. But as I told her, this situation again plays along with Russian propaganda, and it does not look good. I believe I did a great proposal for them this morning, when I proposed to allow me to use this helmet, and also to show solidarity with Ukraine, and give some generators for Ukraine.”

The IOC said in a statement that “despite multiple exchanges and in-person meetings,” including talks with IOC president Kirsty Coventry, “he did not consider any form of compromise.” Kirsty Coventry said, “No one, especially me, is disagreeing with the messaging, it’s a powerful message, it’s a message of remembrance, of memory. The challenge was to find a solution for the field of play. Sadly we’ve not been able to find that solution.”

British Olympic champion Lizzy Yarnold criticized the move and said, “I think the IOC owes him an apology.”

Vladyslav Heraskevych said he would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. But by then, the race had already started. Earlier that day, he said, “I never wanted a scandal with the IOC, and I did not create it.”

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