Ukrainian Skeleton Athlete Disqualified From Milano Cortina 2026 Over ‘Helmet Of Memory’

Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych was barred from competing in the men’s skeleton event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Thursday, 12th February, after refusing to compromise on his “helmet of memory.” The helmet features the faces of Ukrainian athletes killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stated that the decision followed Heraskevych’s “refusal to comply with the IOC’s Guidelines on Athlete Expression.” The jury of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) determined the helmet did not comply with competition rules.

The 27-year-old, who was his country’s flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony, had used the customised helmet during official training heats. However, the IOC maintained that its use in competition was forbidden under Article 50 of the Olympic Charter, which prohibits political statements during competition. The Ukrainian delegation argued the helmet was a tribute to remembrance and did not violate any rules.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry travelled to Cortina this morning for discussions with Heraskevych and his father, Mykhailo, in an attempt to find a resolution. “They took the time to come in and talk with me this morning. I was not meant to be here, but felt that it was really important to come and talk to him face-to-face,” she explained.

Coventry added: “As you’ve all seen over the last few days, we’ve allowed for Vladyslav to use his helmet in training. No-one – no-one – especially me, is disagreeing with the messaging. The messaging is a powerful message of remembrance, it’s a message of memory, and no-one is disagreeing with that.

“The challenge that we are facing is that we wanted to come up with a solution for just the field of play. I know he’s very quick, so for just two minutes to not wear the helmet on the field of play.

“What I wanted to propose and what I proposed to him this morning and to his dad was that we could find ways, because he also said when he goes down it’s blurry, you can’t really see it, so I said OK based off that could we find a solution where we pay homage to his message, to his helmet before he races, then as soon as he’s finished racing going into the mixed zone where you can see the pictures, because he’s very right, it would be blurry going down, so could we find another solution where the memories could be honoured in a wonderful way?

“Sadly, we’ve not been able to come to that solution. I really wanted to see him race today. It’s been an emotional morning.”