The 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics have not been free from controversy. On Feb. 12, Ukrainian skeleton competitor Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the games due to his helmet representing Ukrainians who have died in the ongoing war with Russia.
This is not Heraskevych’s first time in the games. He made history as the first Ukrainian skeleton racer in 2018. In addition to this, fans and viewers alike have suspected that if it was not for the disqualification, Heraskevych would have had a strong chance at winning a medal based on his previous success. This is also not his first time providing commentary on the war, either-in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the athlete carried a “No War In Ukraine” sign alongside him after a race. The International Olympic Committee did not see an issue with this act.
The helmet in question, which Heraskevych dubbed to be a “helmet of memory,” contains the faces of over 20 Ukrainian athletes of various ages whose deaths are attributed to either Russian attacks or being active in the front lines of the war. These figures include 14-year-old Alina Perehudova, a weightlifter who was preparing for the European Championship, killed by a Russian explosive attack; 11-year-old Karyna Diachenko, a gymnast killed by an air strike; and Ivan Kononenko, a notable strongman and actor who died in action on the front lines. Some of these victims Heraskevych knew personally.
He stated that the helmet was a way of honoring those who lost their lives, and that despite their deaths, “they still made it” to the Olympics.
Heraskevych previously received a warning from the International Olympic Committee, that the act of wearing the helmet violates the committee’s rule against making statements directly on Olympic grounds. The IOC offered for him to wear the helmet off of the ice only, but he refused to compete without it. The disqualification happened only 45 minutes before the round.
Olympic Charter rule 50.2 states that “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.” However, labeling the helmet as “political” is what has led to a great portion of the controversy. The images would also not have been visible to the public during the event, due to the high speed Heraskevych would have been racing at.
Kirsty Conventry, IOC President and former Olympian herself, attempted to emphasize that it wasn’t an easy decision.
“As you’ve all seen over the last few days, we’ve allowed for Vladyslav to use his helmet in training…. no one — especially me — is disagreeing with the messaging,” Conventry said. “The challenge that we are facing is that we wanted to ask or come up with a solution for just the field of play.”
A spokesman for the IOC, Mark Adams, also argued that “sports without rules cannot function” and that “it’s not the message, it’s the place that counts”.
Heraskevych himself has noted inconsistencies regarding the IOC’s choice of what is deemed acceptable versus what isn’t, such as Israeli athlete Jared Firestone’s decision to wear a kippah that displayed the names of 11 Israeli athletes that were killed in the 1972 Munich Games.
Heraskevych stated that “a competitor literally placed the memory of the dead on his head to honor them,” and that he does not understand “how these two cases are fundamentally different.”
Additionally, he was vocal about the allowance of about twelve Russian athletes and seven Belarusians in the Olympic games, who can compete under a neutral label. The racer dubbed this to be an act that “plays along with Russian propaganda.”
Various individuals have spoken out in support of Heraskevych, including Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In a post to X, Zelenskyy stated that the helmet was a “reminder to the whole world of what Russian aggression is” and that “in this, no rule has been broken.” He also brought up the 660 Ukrainian athletes and coaches who have been killed by Russia since the beginning of the war, and agreed with Heraskevych’s previous sentiment regarding neutral Russian competitors who face no disqualification.
Support for the athlete has also made its way to Olympic circles. Fellow Ukrainian Olympian, freestyle skier Kateryna Kotsar, spoke out on Instagram about Heraskevych.
“Disqualified. I think that’s enough to understand what the modern IOC really is and how it disgraces the idea of the Olympic movement,” Kotsar said, who is currently competing in the 2026 games and was also forced to remove her helmet. The IOC viewed the statement on the helmet, “Be brave like Ukrainians.” to be politically charged. Kotsar, however, was able to compete once she made the switch from the original statement to a Ukrainian flag. She attributed the change to “a lack of certain experience, knowledge, and probably confidence,” as she has been “competing in this helmet since 2022” and tries to carry it with her “all over the world.”
Additionally, the same night of the Olympian’s disqualification, six Ukrainian luge racers kneeled after their race to demonstrate their support. Olena Smaha, one of the lugers, displayed a message on her glove in solidarity, “Rememberance is not a violation”.
On Feb. 13, Heraskevych took his appeal to the court of arbitration for sport, but it was denied. After departing from the court, the athlete clearly stated his views on the matter.
“From day one, I told you that I think I’m right. I don’t have any regrets.”
