The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has revoked the accreditation of Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladylsav Heraskevych for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Consequently, he will not be able to start in the event on Thursday.
The IOC said the decision was based on a helmet that Heraskevych wanted to wear, which did not meet the Committee’s guidelines for athletes’ expressions of opinion. The helmet would have displayed portraits of Ukrainian sports figures who were killed in Russia’s war of aggression.
The Committee explained that, earlier, it had sought a compromise to allow the athlete to honor his fellow competitors. He was permitted to wear the helmet during all training runs and could have displayed it immediately after the competition while passing through the so‑called “Mixed Zone”. However, the IOC noted that “grief is expressed and perceived differently around the world”.
Heraskevych offered only a brief comment. “This is the price of our dignity” he wrote on social media. Earlier, in a video message, he insisted that he never intended to create a scandal with the IOC and had not caused it. He argued that the IOC’s interpretation of its rules, which many view as discriminatory, was what had damaged him.
He has appealed for the IOC to provide portable generators for Ukrainian sports facilities as a sign of solidarity, noting that these venues are under daily bombardment.