Ukraine skeleton helmet controversy, explained: Why Vladyslav Heraskevych was banned from competing at Olympics

A skeleton racing athlete from Ukraine has been disqualified from the 2026 Winter Olympics, the IOC announced Thursday.

Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was Ukraine's flag bearer at the opening ceremony, will no longer be able to compete after he refused "to adhere to the IOC athlete expression guidelines," the IOC stated, by wearing a helmet that depicted people killed in his home country's war with Russia.

The IOC also said that Heraskevych "did not consider any form of compromise." He was scheduled to compete in the men's skeleton event on Thursday as a potential medal contender.

Here's what to know about the controversy surrounding Heraskevych's helmet and disqualification from the 2026 Winter Olympics.

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Ukraine skeleton helmet controversy

The IOC announced Thursday that Heraskevych would no longer be allowed to participate at the Winter Games "after refusing to adhere to the IOC athlete expression guidelines." The statement indicated that the IOC had offered multiple opportunities for Heraskevych to express himself in other ways, but the decision " followed his refusal to comply."

Heraskevych then shared a message on social media that translated to "this is the price of our dignity." It showed a photo of the helmet he was disqualified for using, featuring pictures of Ukrainian athletes killed during the war.

According to NBC News, Heraskevych has said that the helmet featured figure skater Dmytro Sharpar, his 2016 Youth Olympic Games teammate, and boxer Maksym Halinichev, "among others killed during the war," some of whom were Olympians. 

Це ціна нашої гідності.
This is price of our dignity. pic.twitter.com/00h3hlZs6i

— Vladyslav Heraskevych OLY (@heraskevych) February 12, 2026

The decision came not long before Heraskevych would have began the men's skeleton event on Thursday. Earlier in the week, the IOC had already confirmed Heraskevych would not be permitted to keep wearing the helmet, which he wore during training runs at the Cortina Sliding Center.

Per NBC News, the IOC offered Heraskevych a compromise earlier in the week of him being able to wear a black armband instead of the helmet, or also the possibility of him wearing the helmet during training immediately after the competition, but not during the event.

“The essence of this case is not about the message, it is about where he wanted to express it,” the IOC said, per NBC.

Heraskevych shared another message on X after his ban that said he "never wanted a scandal with the IOC," requesting that the IOC lift the ban of the helmet, apologize for the "pressure that has been put on me over the past few days," and "provide electric generators for Ukrainian sports facilities that are suffering from daily shellings."

— Vladyslav Heraskevych OLY (@heraskevych) February 12, 2026

Earlier in the week, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said the organization held a meeting with Heraskevych’s coach and delegation.

“We have to concentrate on the athletes’ performance and sport on the field of play, and it’s fundamental that they are equal rights for all athletes, and that Games need to be separated, not just from political and religious but from all types of interference,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams told a news conference, per NBC News.

Additionally, Ukraine’s Olympic Committee shared a letter earlier this week to the IOC seeking permission for Heraskevych to train and compete in the helmet, writing that it "fully complies with safety requirements and IOC rules, does not contain advertising, political slogans or discriminatory elements, and was confirmed as meeting established standards during official training," per NBC News.

Adams, the IOC spokesman, said that the "IOC fully understands the desire of athletes to remember friends, colleagues who have lost their lives in that conflict." However, despite the IOC saying Heraskevych would be able to wear a black armband, he was still wearing the helmet in his training run Tuesday, and he also indicated he would wear it on race day despite the controversy.

“Because of their [the dead athletes’] sacrifice, we are able to compete here as a team. I will not betray them,” Heraskevych said Tuesday, per NBC News. "“I believe they deserve to be with me on competition day. I used it yesterday [at training], I used it today [at training], I will use it tomorrow and I will use it on race day."

In videos to Instagram earlier in the week, Heraskevych said the IOC's disapproval for his helmet "simply breaks my heart" and the IOC was “betraying those athletes who were part of the Olympic movement, not allowing them to be honored on the sports arena where these athletes will never be able to step again.” He also said he was hoping for a "a fair final decision” from the IOC.

However, the official decision to ban Heraskevych from competing came early Thursday morning, hours before his final event. In the moments after he was disqualified, Heraskevych's father and coach, Mykhailo Heraskevych, was photographed in his emotional reaction.

Mykhailo Heraskevych, father and coach of Vladyslav Heraskevych, reacts to the news that his son has been disqualified from competing in the Winter Olympics. pic.twitter.com/0KF1KFI1ag

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 12, 2026

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Why was Vladyslav Heraskevych banned from Olympics?

Vladyslav Heraskevych, a Ukrainian skeleton athlete, was disqualified from the 2026 Winter Olympics for wearing a helmet that had pictures of Ukrainian athletes killed during the country's war with Russia. He wore the helmet during training sessions, was warned against wearing it in the actual event and was offered a compromise by the IOC, but Heraskevych indicated he would wear the helmet during Thursday's skeleton event anyway.

— Kate from Kharkiv (@BohuslavskaKate) February 9, 2026

Heraskevych, who also previously displayed a “No war in Ukraine” sign after a run at the 2022 Winter Olympics, said his helmet featured photos of Ukrainian athletes killed in the war, including Olympians.

“I would say (it’s) painful that it really looks like discrimination because many athletes already were expressing themselves. ... They didn’t face the same things. So, suddenly, just the Ukrainian athlete in this Olympic Games will be disqualified for the helmet," Heraskevych said, per NBC News.

The IOC has long held strict rules about political acts during the Olympics. Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter states: “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has offered support for Heraskevych throughout the controversy. Before the disqualification, Zelenskyy thanked the athlete in a statement on X.

"This truth cannot be inconvenient, inappropriate, or called a ‘political demonstration at a sporting event’,” Zelenskyy wrote. “It is a reminder to the entire world of what modern Russia is.”

When Heraskevych was then disqualified on Thursday, Zelenskyy wrote that "having courage is worth more than any medal."

"The Olympic movement should help stop wars, not play into the hands of aggressors," Zelenskyy wrote in an X post. "No rule has been broken."

Latvian luge athlete Ulla Zirne was another figure who reacted to Heraskevych's disqualification, writing on social media that she felt "ashamed."

"Behind the lights and national pride is a system driven by politics, hierarchy and money. A system where organizations grow powerful — while athletes are treated as tools," Zirne wrote. "The Olympic dream has been carefully built, protected and sold. And it's time we start questioning it."

— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) February 12, 2026

IOC statement

Here is the full IOC statement from Heraskevych's disqualification on Thursday.

"Having been given one final opportunity, skeleton pilot Vladyslav 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 (IBSF) based on the fact that the helmet he intended to wear was not compliant with the rules.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has therefore decided with regret to withdraw his accreditation for the Milano Cortina 2026 Games.

Despite multiple exchanges and in-person meetings between the IOC and Mr Heraskevych, the last one this morning with IOC President Kirsty Coventry, he did not consider any form of compromise.

The IOC was very keen for Mr Heraskevych to compete. This is why the IOC sat down with him to look for the most respectful way to address his desire to remember his fellow athletes who have lost their lives following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The essence of this case is not about the message, it is about where he wanted to express it.

Mr Heraskevych was able to display his helmet in all training runs. The IOC also offered him the option of displaying it immediately after the competition when going through the mixed zone.

Mourning is not expressed and perceived in the same way everywhere in the world. In order to support athletes in their mourning, the IOC has put in place multifaith centres in the Olympic Villages and a place of mourning, so that grief can be expressed with dignity and respect. There is also the possibility to wear a black armband during competition under certain circumstances.

During the Olympic Games athletes are also offered a number of opportunities to mourn and express their views, including in the media mixed zones, on social media, during press conferences and in interviews. 

The Guidelines on Athlete Expression were the result of a global consultation in 2021 with 3,500 athletes from all around the world. They have the full support of the IOC Athletes’ Commission and Athletes’ Commissions from International Federations and National Olympic Committees.

Mr Heraskevych has been supported by the IOC for the last three editions of the Olympic Winter Games. Each time he was an Olympic scholarship holder. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the IOC also set up a solidarity fund for Ukrainian sport to support the athletes’ preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games."

The statement also included a list of "facts," which stated:

"On 9 February 2026, during the official Men’s Skeleton training heats, the IBSF notified the IOC that Mr Heraskevych wore a helmet featuring images of Ukrainian athletes killed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

On 9 February, the IOC met with Mr Heraskevych’s coach and the Deputy Chef de Mission of the NOC of Ukraine to explain that the helmet is not compliant and detailed the different options which are available to athletes to express themselves.

In a letter on 10 February 2026, the IOC informed Mr Heraskevych that his helmet is not compliant with the Olympic Charter, and other rules, in particular the IOC’s Guidelines on Athlete Expression. In order to mourn the loss of his fellow athletes, the IOC offered Mr Heraskevych a black armband and/or a black ribbon as an alternative solution to the use of the helmet.

At a press conference held on the evening of 10 February 2026, Mr Heraskevych indicated that he would still use the helmet in competition. With that he publicly conveyed the message that he would openly defy the IOC’s Guidelines on Athlete Expression.

In a second letter on 11 February, the IOC informed Mr Heraskevych once again that he would not be allowed to start in the men’s skeleton event on 12 February 2026 wearing the helmet.

In an IBSF technical check of Mr Heraskevych’s equipment on 11 February in the afternoon, he confirmed in writing that he intended to wear the helmet.

Following the equipment check, another in-person conversation was held with Mr Heraskevych and the NOC of Ukraine Chef de Mission in the Olympic Village in Cortina to reiterate the IOC position and to offer alternatives. During this conversation, Mr Heraskevych reiterated his position.

This morning, upon his arrival in the competition venue, Mr Heraskevych met with IOC President Kirsty Coventry, who explained to him, one final time, the IOC position. As in the personal meetings before, he refused to change his position."

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Who is Vladyslav Heraskevych?

Vladyslav Heraskevych is a Ukrainian skeleton racer who has been competing since 2014. He is 27 years old and from Kyiv, Ukraine, and he was the first-ever Ukrainian skeleton racer.

Heraskevych participated in his first Winter Olympics in 2018, finishing 12th in the event. In 2022, he finished 18th in the men's skeleton event. He also drew attention in Beijing for displaying a sign stating "No War in Ukraine," but the IOC considered it a "general call for peace."

Heraskevych was a flag bearer for Ukraine at the opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

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