He didn’t lose on the ice. He was removed before he could even start.
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych arrived at the 2026 Winter Olympics with a plan to compete — and a promise to keep. The 27-year-old had been training for the biggest day of his career, but he also wanted to carry something into the arena that wasn’t about times, rankings, or medals.
It was about names, faces, and the people who aren’t here anymore.
Heraskevych’s custom helmet – described as a “helmet of remembrance” or “helmet of memory” – was adorned with tributes to victims of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said he wanted to ‘honour’ fellow sportsmen and women who have died since the conflict began in February 2022.
His headgear featured images including teenage weightlifter Alina Perehudova, boxer Pavlo Ischenko, ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov, actor and athlete Ivan Kononenko, diver and coach Mykyta Kozubenko, shooter Oleksiy Habarov and dancer Daria Kurdel, among others. Another report said the helmet shows images of 24 athletes and children who have died as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The message was visible. And, as it turned out, that visibility was the problem.
Days before the men’s skeleton event, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) told Heraskevych the helmet would not be permitted in official training and competition. He refused to remove it, continuing to wear it throughout practice, explaining that he would ‘not betray these athletes,’
Then, on February 12 — moments before he was set to race — the Olympic journey stopped in its tracks, announcing that he would no longer be participating.
The IOC issued a statement confirming he would not be allowed to start. The committee said: “Having been given one final opportunity, skeleton pilot Vladylsav Heraskevych from Ukraine will not be able to start his race at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games this morning. The decision followed his refusal to comply with the IOC’s Guidelines on Athlete Expression.
“It was taken by the jury of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (ISBF) based on the fact that the helmet he intended to wear was not compliant with the rules,” the statement explained.
“The IOC has therefore decided with regret to withdraw his accreditation for the Milano Cortina 2026 Games.”
The ruling was a crushing blow delivered at the worst possible time: right before competition.
Heraskevych later described the feeling after being disqualified.
“It’s hard to put into words,” the athlete told reporters. “Emptiness, some kind of,” before explaining he had intended to ‘honour [the] athletes pictured on this helmet’.
“I believe they deserve this moment,” Heraskevych said. “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. I believe we didn’t violate any rules.
“I see big inconsistencies in decisions, in the wording, in the press conferences of the IOC, and I believe it’s the biggest problem that it’s inconsistent. I believe strictly in the ISBF, and the IOC understands I’m not violating any rules. Also what [is] painful is that it looks like discrimination because athletes were already expressing themselves.”
The IOC’s position was tied to its rules on expression at Olympic sites.
IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said the helmet contravened Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter, which states that “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas”.
Adams addressed the situation at a news conference, insisting the IOC understood why Heraskevych wanted to do it.
“The IOC fully understands the desire of athletes to remember friends and colleagues who have lost their lives in that conflict, and in many, many other difficult conflicts around the world,” Adams said on February 10.
“It’s fundamental that there are equal rights for all athletes and that the games need to be separated not just from political and religious, but from all types of interference so that all the athletes competing can concentrate on their performance. What we said is that this helmet contravenes the guidelines.
“But that being said, after the meeting, we also reiterated once again that we will in this case, as we do now more often, make an exception to the guidelines to allow him to wear a black armband during competition.”
That offer — a black armband rather than the helmet — was the compromise on the table.
Heraskevych didn’t take it.
Earlier, after learning the helmet would be forbidden, the Ukrainian athlete took to Instagram on February 9 and didn’t hide his anger or disappointment.
“The IOC bans the use of my helmet in official training and competitions,” he said. “The feeling that the IOC is betraying those athletes who were part of the Olympic movement, not allowing them to be honoured on the sports arena where these athletes will never be able to step again.
“Despite precedents in modern times and in the past when the IOC allowed such tributes, this time they decided to set special rules just for Ukraine.”
He also posted: “This is price of our dignity.”
And in another message, Heraskevych widened the focus beyond his own case, writing: “Each week, more and more Russian athletes return to international arenas, while Ukrainians continue to live through a humanitarian catastrophe caused by Russian shelling. When the IOC plays along with Russian propaganda, it effectively becomes complicit in these crimes. Support Ukraine in its right to live.”
The IOC, for its part, later issued another statement insisting it wanted him to compete, but said talks had failed to reach a solution.
It was, they claimed, not about what he was saying — but where he wanted to say it. “The essence of this case is not about the message, it is about where he wanted to express it,” the IOC added.
Heraskevych, though, is not planning to let the matter drop. He said he intends to take his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. “I believe we need to continue to fight for our rights,” he has said. “I told you from day one that I do not agree with what the IOC says to us, so probably we will prepare a CAS case and we will defend our rights in CAS.”
In the immediate aftermath, there was also a striking show of support — one that came not from sporting authorities, but from one of Ukraine’s most powerful figures.
Heraskevych has since found himself in receipt of a staggering $200,000 donation, reported to have been made by Ukrainian billionaire and businessman Rinat Akhmetov.
Dubbed the richest man in Ukraine, as per Forbes, Akhmetov is the owner and president of Ukrainian football club FC Shakhtar Donetsk.
Akhmetov framed the donation as both recognition and practical backing for the athlete’s future.
“Vlad Heraskevych was denied the opportunity to compete for victory at the Olympic Games, yet he returns to Ukraine a true winner,” Akhmetov said, per The Independent. “The respect and pride he has earned among Ukrainians through his actions are the highest reward.”
He added that he wanted the racer to have the means to continue, saying he wanted him to ‘have enough energy and resources to continue his sporting career, as well as to fight for truth, freedom and the remembrance of those who gave their lives for Ukraine’.
A statement on behalf of Akhmetov’s foundation said the money is expected to be paid to Heraskevych’s own foundation. Its purpose is to help “to ensure the athlete and his coaching staff have the necessary resources to continue their sporting career and their advocacy for Ukraine on the international stage”.
Heraskevych may have lost his spot in the competition, but in the eyes of his supporters, he left the Games with his message intact.
Featured image credit: Instagram/heraskevychvladyslav (screenshots)
