Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych has been disqualified from the 2026 Winter Olympics after refusing to remove a helmet paying tribute to athletes killed in the war with Russia.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled that the design breached Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter, which prohibits political demonstrations at Olympic venues. Heraskevych, 27, had insisted he would not «betray» those who lost their lives, even if it meant sacrificing his Olympic dream. His accreditation has been revoked.
Speaking after the decision, Heraskevych described a feeling of «emptiness,» arguing that other athletes had been allowed personalised helmet designs.
«Because of their sacrifice, we’re able to be here today,» he said, explaining his wish to honour fallen compatriots and their families.
The controversy has overshadowed the men’s skeleton event in Milano-Cortina, where Great Britain’s Matt Weston made a statement in the opening heat. The reigning world champion clocked 56.21 seconds to lead after the first run, with Germany’s Axel Jungk just 0.06 seconds behind. Teammate Marcus Wyatt sits within striking distance as Team GB hunt their first medal of the Games.
Britain’s skeleton programme had already faced its own setback earlier in the week after an appeal over newly designed helmets was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Athletes are competing in their standard World Cup gear.
Elsewhere, Team GB continue to search for a breakthrough after ice dancers Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson narrowly missed the podium in the free dance final, ending hopes of a first Olympic figure skating medal in three decades.
Day six in Italy features nine gold medal events, including women’s super-G in alpine skiing, men’s moguls in freestyle skiing and multiple finals in short track speed skating, as the medal race begins to intensify.
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