The 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics saw one of the biggest controversies of the Games unfold when Vladyslav Heraskevych, a Ukranian skeleton athlete, was disqualified for refusing to change helmets prior to the men’s skeleton competition.
Heraskevych, who was one of Ukraine’s flag-bearers during the opening ceremony, wanted to wear a “helmet of memory” during his event, which he had previously wore during Olympic training sessions. The helmet features images of Ukrainian athletes who have died since Russia’s invasion dating back to 2022.
Heraskevych was given the option to wear a black armband during his race instead and was allowed to display his helmet afterward; he also received a warning from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that he would be disqualified if he went through with what it considered a prohibited political demonstration. Heraskevych refused to comply and was then pulled from the start list on Thursday, and the IOC additionally revoked his Olympic accreditation.
Shortly after, Heraskevych shared a strong message on social media clapping back at the IOC for ruining his Olympic dreams.
“What cynicism from the IOC!” the 27-year-old athlete wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “After the wrongful disqualification and robbing me of my Olympic dream, they announce that they are revoking my accreditation. But then, at the initiative of Coventry herself, they allow me to stay in the Olympic Village longer… Thank you for your ‘kind’ heart, IOC.”
What cynicism from the IOC!
— Vladyslav Heraskevych OLY (@heraskevych) February 12, 2026
After the wrongful disqualification and robbing me of my Olympic dream, they announce that they are revoking my accreditation.
But then, at the initiative of Coventry herself, they allow me to stay in the Olympic Village longer…
Thank you for your… https://t.co/9fHMcK7nRv
In his post, Heraskevych reshared a video of IOC president Kirsty Coventry addressing his disqualification.
“No one, no one especially me, is disagreeing with his messaging,” Coventry said in the video. “... We have these rules in place to try and be fair, and also to try and allow for us to do both things right: to allow for athletes to express themselves, but also to allow for athletes to be safe.”
Heraskevych reportedly had a personal meeting with Coventry to discuss his helmet before he was pulled from the race.
“In Ukraine, we have a lot of tears, and I don’t want to doubt her feelings,” Heraskevych said of his meeting with Coventry. “But I don’t believe we violated the rules.”
Despite Heraskevych losing out on his chance for Olympic glory, his defiant act didn’t go unnoticed. His compatriots on Ukraine’s luge team knelt in protest of his disqualification, and Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelensky praised Heraskevych for having the courage to stand up for his country.
Heraskevych has since filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over his disqualification, The Athletic reported Thursday. The appeal aims to reinstate him immediately, or to allow him to perform “supervised provisional runs” until CAS delivers its ruling on the case. The final two runs of the Olympic men’s skeleton competition are scheduled for Friday night.
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- IOC Disqualifies Ukrainian Athlete Over Helmet Memorial
- Jessie Diggins Wins Bronze w/ Badly Bruised Ribs
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ukrainian Star Rips IOC in Scathing Post After Getting Disqualified at Olympics.
