Ukrainian star disqualified from Iciness Olympics over helmet honoring struggle dull

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — A Ukrainian athlete who used to be disqualified from the Iciness Olympics on Thursday over his insistence on wearing a helmet honoring people killed in his country’s struggle with Russia acknowledged he refused to lend a hand down because there are issues that are “more important than medals.”

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The Global Olympic Committee acknowledged in an announcement early Thursday that skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, the Ukrainian flag bearer, used to be “no longer allowed to participate at Milano Cortina 2026 after refusing to adhere to the IOC athlete expression pointers.”

A jury of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation made the decision, the IOC said.

Heraskevych told NBC News that the decision was “surreal.”

“I if truth be told feel esteem I was treated unfairly. I was stripped out of opportunity to compete, and I originate no longer realize why,” he said.

The decision was announced shortly before Heraskevych was due to compete in the men’s skeleton competition, in which he was considered a legitimate medal contender.

He said he was already in the venue and had set up his sled for his race when he was notified he was being disqualified.

“I comprise I am upright on this case,” he said. “For me to lend a hand down is betraying [the people pictured on the helmet].”

Heraskevych filed an application Thursday with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, an independent body, challenging the decision by the federation jury.

The application seeks to nullify the jury’s decision. He is arguing that “the exclusion is disproportionate, unsupported by any technical or safety violation and causes irreparable carrying damage to him,” according to a media summary of the filing.

He had said when announcing an intention to file the challenge that it would be a “miracle” to compete in these Games.

The IOC acknowledged this week that his “helmet of remembrance” — featuring pictures of Ukrainian athletes killed in the war — contravened rules prohibiting any kind of political statement by competitors.

Heraskevych insisted the helmet does no such thing, and he wore it throughout training runs.

“We’re dragging all this attention from the athletes, from other Olympians, to this scandal,” he said.

Heraskevych also pointed to athletes in other Winter Olympic sports — including snowboarding, skiing, figure skating and luge — who have the opportunity to share messages and expressions on their gear.

“They didn’t receive any penalties, any suspensions, or one thing esteem that,” he said.

Kyiv labeled his disqualification a “moment of shame” for the IOC.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X: “The Olympic movement should help stop wars, not play into the hands of aggressors. No rule has been broken.”

“Having courage is worth more than any medal,” Zelenskyy added, praising Heraskevych for his stand.

Heraskevych said the support from both Zelenskyy and the international community has been “great.”

Heraskevych and IOC officials held multiple meetings and exchanges, but the committee said he “didn’t comprise in mind any invent of compromise,” including after a final meeting with the committee’s president, Kirsty Coventry, at the sliding center Thursday.

Coventry, an Olympic champion swimmer, said she had wanted a different outcome. “No one, no one — especially me — is disagreeing with the messaging. The messaging is a powerful message,” she told reporters, with tears rolling down her face.

“As you’ve all considered over the old couple of days, we’ve allowed for Vladyslav to use his helmet in coaching,” Coventry acknowledged. “The topic that we’re going by is that we desired to seek knowledge from or give you a resolution for honest the field of play.”

Heraskevych acknowledged, “She used to be telling me that she if truth be told wants me to compete. However at the same time, she couldn’t uncover to me what’s the variation between my case and case of different others?”

Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Constitution says: “No roughly demonstration or political, spiritual or racial propaganda is allowed in any Olympic websites, venues or other areas.”

Heraskevych told NBC News that the IOC told him that the helmet also violates portion of rule 40, which he acknowledged is regarding the media and the plot in which athletes can bid themselves at the Video games.

The IOC insisted it used to be “very keen for Mr Heraskevych to compete” and had equipped a compromise of allowing him to build on the helmet within the future of coaching and to illustrate it right away after the opponents or to build on a shadowy armband to signify national mourning — nevertheless it drew a line at allowing him to build on the helmet while he used to be competing.

“The essence of this case is no longer regarding the message, it’s about where he desired to particular it,” the IOC acknowledged.

Heraskevych displayed a “No struggle in Ukraine” signal after his closing shuffle at the 2022 Iciness Olympics in Beijing, which the IOC acknowledged didn’t violate its structure as he used to be simply calling for peace.

Russia launched its paunchy-scale invasion days after the Video games ended.

Heraskevych acknowledged the pictures on his helmet in Milan feature pick skater Dmytro Sharpar, his 2016 Adolescence Olympic Video games teammate, and boxer Maksym Halinichev, among others killed within the future of the struggle. A number of of them had been Olympians, others had been teens, and even some of Heraskevych’s friends had been incorporated.

“All of them had been athletes or people closely connected to sports,” he acknowledged, alongside with that he desired to “memorize them” at the Olympics, because though they had been killed, “they still made it there.”

The “whole world can memorize them all together in a beautiful tribute. It was a goal from the first day,” Heraskevych acknowledged.

“I could well train [it’s] painful that it if truth be told appears to be to be like esteem discrimination, because many athletes already had been expressing themselves. … They didn’t face the same issues. So, all right away, honest the Ukrainian athlete on this Olympic Video games will be disqualified for the helmet,” he said Thursday.

He has also been vocal about the presence of athletes who formerly represented Russia and Belarus at the Olympics, questioning their status and why the IOC has cleared them to compete.

Ukraine’s Olympic Committee said in a statement after the ruling Thursday: “Vladislav didn’t commence up today, nevertheless he used to be no longer alone — all of Ukraine used to be with him. Because when an athlete stands up for truth, honor and memory — this is already a victory.”

The country’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, described it as “a second of disgrace.”

“The IOC has banned no longer the Ukrainian athlete, nevertheless its comprise fame,” he said on X.

It is “Russians who must be banned, no longer the commemoration of their victims,” Sybiha added.

Heraskevych said: “The Olympics is ready peace. And I originate no longer peek anything else what can disturb people on this pictures.”

The “helmet used to be known as by people ‘memory helmet.’ It is never a struggle helmet,” he said.

He added: “Some issues are more crucial, and I comprise honoring and remembering these athletes is now more crucial than medals.”

Patrick Smith and Yuliya Talmazan reported from London, Molly Hunter from Cortina d’Ampezzo and Rebecca Cohen from New York.